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THE NAUTILUS 118(2):71-87, 2004 Page 71 The South American Mollusca of Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix and their publication by Johann Andreas Wagner Robert H. Cowie Nestor J. Cazzaniga Matthias Glaubrecht Center for Conservation Research and Departamento de Biologia, Bioquimica Museum fur Naturkunde Training y Farmacia Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin University of Hawaii Universidad Nacional del Sur. San Institut fur Systematische Zoologie 3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 408 Juan 670 D-10115 Berlin Honolulu, HI 96822 USA (8000) Bahfa Blanca GERMANY [email protected] ARGENTINA [email protected] [ica/./.aii(«'cribu.edu.ar ABSTRACT varian Academy of Sciences in Munich and, less than six months later, on April 24, 1811, following orders from Dr. Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix collected Mollusca in South die king, the Academy made him curator, and thus, di- America from 1817 to 1820. After his return to Europe he rector of these collections. During the period 1808-1811 completed the plates, including their legends, and brief diag- Spix traveled not only in France but also in Raly and noses for a monograph on the taxa he had collected, but died in 1826 before the main text was written. Dr. Johann Andreas Switzerland. In 1811, he published his major work, Ges- Wagner was enlisted to complete the monograph, which he chichte und Beurtheilung oiler Systeme in der Zoologie did, and it was published in 1827. In total, 64 gastropod and [ = History and evaluation of all systems in zoology] (xiv 20 bivalve taxa were illustrated. In developing the monograph + 710 p., Achrag'sche Buchhandlung, Niirnberg). Spix for publication, Wagner altered Spix's concepts of many of the greatly improved the old-fashioned arrangement of the taxa, in some cases using his own name, not Spix's, as the au- natural history cabinet of the Bavarian Academy of Sci- thor of the name. We discuss Wagner's rationale for making ences and is regarded as the founder of the modern these changes. We discuss the appropriate citation of the au- Bavarian zoological collections, now the Zoologische thorship of the work, concluding that it should be cited as of Staatssammlung Miinchen (ZSM). Wagner alone. We also discuss the appropriate authorship of the species, concluding that in all cases in which Spix had pro- In 1817, in the company of botanist Carl Friedrich vided a name on the plates authorship should be given as "Spix Philipp von Martius (1794-1862) and a number of other in Wagner". Wagner also created some new names, three of naturalists, Spix embarked on a major expedition of ex- which are replacements for Spix's names, which are preoccu- ploration and natural histoiy collecting to Brazil. They are unnecessary replacement pied, but the remaining ones returned to Europe on December 10, 1820, with an names for Spix's names (of which they are therefore junior enormous quantity of material uiat they had collected, objective synonyms) . Spix's type material is in the Zoologische which was deposited in the Bavarian Academy of Sci- Staatssammlung in Munich, although some of it is missing as ences where Spix was curator. a result of damage sustained during World War II. Based on that extensive material, Spix published nu- merous works, on monkeys and bats, turtles and frogs, lizards, and birds. Martius published on the plants. Sad- INTRODUCTION ly, only six years after his return from South America, Spix died, in Munich on 15, 1826, apparently as a Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix was born in Hochstadt May result of lingering illness contracted during the expedi- an der Aisch, near Bamberg, Bavaria, on February 9, a Spix's intended publications on 1781, as the son of a surgeon. [For additional biographic tion. As consequence, information see Fittkau (1983) and Huber and Huber fishes, insects, and mollusks remained unfinished and (1993)]. He gained a doctorate in uieology at the Uni- had to be completed by others. versity of Bamberg but then changed his career to med- Under the auspices of the editors (Franz von Paula icine, gaining a medical degree in 1806 from the Uni- von Schrank and Martius), die mollusk volume {Testacea versity of Wiirzburg. He then practiced medicine for a fluviatilia . .) was completed by Dr. Johann Andreas short period before traveling to Paris in 1808 to meet Wagner (March 21, 1797-December 17, 1861) and pub- Cuvier, Lamarck, and other well-known naturalists. On lished in 1827. The primary aim of this paper is to clarify October 31, 1810, the Bavarian king, Maximilian I Jo- the authorship of the species described therein, follow- seph, made him adjunct (scientific assistant) to the cu- ing, when pertinent, the International Code of Zoologi- rator of the zoological-zootomical collections of the Ba- cal Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999), hereafter the Code, as THE NAUTILUS, Vol. 118, No. 2 well as correct attribution of the work itself. In order to this has led to the use of somewhat awkward English in do this, it is necessary to discuss in detail the history of places. Also, we have placed some nouns in brackets the production of the volume. since in Latin it was common to omit them and leave the reader to recover the meaning from the adjective. In addition, some explanatory material and some of the HISTORY OF THE TESTACEA FLUVIATILIA original Latin wording is also placed in brackets for clar- ity. following is translation The title page of the original issue of the mollusk work The our of the "Praefatio". printed in Munich is shown in Figure 1. The title trans- PREFACE. lates as follows: Dr. Johann Baptist von Spix, formerly our colleague Freshwater mollusks that, while traveling through in the Royal Academy of Sciences, whose death, pre- Brazil during the years 1817-1820 commanded by and mature and calamitous for letters [i.e., science], we under the auspices of Maximilian Joseph I, Most grieve, had left behind him illustrations of the animals August King of Bavaria, were collected and taken care with shells ["Testaceorum"} and the fishes, from the ex- to Dr. B. von Spix, former Civilian in the Brazilian collections be painted by J. amples deposited by him of Knight of the Royal Order of the Bavarian Crown, the Academy ["in Museo academico Brasiliano"], drawn Ordinaiy Member of the Bavarian Academy of on stone [i.e., lithographs] and illustrated in colors, and Sciences, curator of the collections of the Royal had intended to use the [illustrations] to serve [creation zoological, zootomical and ethnographical Museum. of] the missing descriptions of the animals collected Arranged, described and illustrated with observations while traveling through the wide provinces of Brazil. Dr. A. Wagner [illustrations] to a by J. These were handed us by brother of Edited by Dr. F. von Paula von Schrank and tire now deceased man to be shared with die supporters Dr. C. F. P. von Martius of Spix's works. And there were not-weak arguments diat Munich impelled us to put hands to work; mainly the vividness Publisher C. Wolf and fidelity of the illustrations themselves, and die value 1827 of the depicted shells, most of which are now made known for the first time to those curious about nature; later issue printed in Leipzig, also in 1827. It A was the rest [of the illustrations], even if [the species] have differs slightly in a number of ways, as discussed below. been described by other authors, will nonetheless be In total, 64 gastropod and 20 bivalve species were il- worth viewing because, as they were collected by Spix, lustrated. The title (Testacea fluviatilia), however, does diese audiors will themselves have future testimonial [to not reflect the contents correctly because, although the dieir work] by matching their [shells] with the illustra- preface reads that the mollusks studied only live in fresh tions of the indefatigable traveler. descriptions, observations and other waters ("quae nonnisi aquas dulces incolunt"), 43 out of Doubtless, [notes], which could be useful to explain the illustrations, 64 gastropod species are land snails (e.g., genera Buli- were lacking; but nature offers itself to die eyes. More- mus, Strophocheiliis, Helix, Achatina). This suggests that over, being constrained by other issues and dedicated to perhaps at least the editors (who were not malacologists) other studies, we would have hardly had die necessary were not fully aware of the contents of the book. If Spix free time to accomplish the work: it seemed to us tiiat himself had had the opportunity of publishing his work, this was a task for a man that measured up to him [i.e., then he may have titled it "Testacea fluviatilia et terres- Spix], Conveniently, we happened to find out diat Dr. tria" ; latter being had been engaged for several years in a or "Testacea Brasiliensia" the perhaps J. A. Wagner his intention, as suggested by the heading on page 1 of large and important study of conchology, and was striv- the descriptive text, above the title of the Ampullaria ing to publish a continuation of the works of Chemnitz, under the of the Conchyliologicum; die section. Wagner, of course, knew that many species were name Museum learned man did not refuse the commission that we re- terrestrial, which suggests that he was not involved in quested of him, and got to work in order to complete deciding the title of the work nor in the writing of the [the present book]. preface. What he achieved is evident from die work itself. He preface (Figure The ("Praefatio") 2) to the work ex- worked very hard in order that these mollusks, which plains some of its history. It is difficult to translate it only live in freshwater, should be included within the because several terms and structures are not classical, genera established by Lamarck and other recent authors, with many embedded sentences and quotations.