FOLIA Folia Malacol. 28(1): 35–76 MALACOLOGICA ISSN 1506-7629 (print)•ISSN 2300-7125 (on-line) The Association of Polish Malacologists Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe Poznań, March 2020 https://doi.org/10.12657/folmal.028.002 TAXONOMIC VANDALISM IN MALACOLOGY: COMMENTS ON MOLLUSCAN TAXA RECENTLY DESCRIBED BY N. N. THACH AND COLLEAGUES (2014–2019) BARNA PÁLL-GERGELY1*, ANDRÁS HUNYADI2, KURT AUFFENBERG3 1Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Herman Ottó Street 15, H-1022 Budapest, Hungary (e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6167-7221 2Independent researcher, Adria sétány 10G 2/5, 1148 Budapest, Hungary (e-mail: [email protected]) 3Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Rd, FL 32611 Gainesville, USA (e-mail: [email protected]) *corresponding author ABSTRACT: A Vietnamese malacologist Nguyen Ngoc Thach described 235 land snail species and subspecies from Southeast Asia with co-authors; further 11 species were described by an Austrian malacologist Franz Huber in Thach’s publications (2014–2019). Nearly all taxa were described in self-published books and non-peer-reviewed journals. The low quality of the published photographs, imprecise locality data, deficient literature surveys, and the lack of examination of type specimens raise reasonable doubts concerning the validity of these taxa. In this paper we list all land snails described by Thach and colleagues, and comment on approximately half of his taxa based on examination of the literature and type specimens. As a result, 102 of their taxa are moved to the synonymies of previously described taxa. Three additional taxa, described by other authors, are also considered synonyms of known species here: Helix (Ganesella?) lamyi Dautzenberg et Fischer, 1905, Helix (Plectotropis?) chaudroni Bavay et Dautzenberg, 1909, Amphidromus xiengkhaungensis Inkhavilay et Panha, 2017. Further, nine species are moved to other genera: Pearsonia huberi Thach 2016 to Spiraculum, Streptartemon huberi Thach 2016 to Indoartemon, Tropidophora huberi Thach, 2018 to Leptopoma, Microstele huberi Thach, 2018 to Apoecus, Camaena khamducensis Thach et Huber, 2018 to Hemiplecta, Camaena abbasi Thach, 2016 to Asperitas, Mysticarion huberi Thach, 2016 to Megaustenia, Helixarion annhiae Thach et Huber, 2017 to Megaustenia, and Lamprellia huberi Thach, 2018 to Trichochloritis. Chloritis bifoveata vinhensis Thach et Huber, 2018 is elevated to species level. Oospira naggsi callosa Páll-Gergely, nom. nov. is established as a replacement name for Hemiphaedusa huberi Thach, 2016, non Oospira huberi Thach, 2016. Trichochloritis mussonena Páll-Gergely, nom. nov. is established for Mussonena huberi Thach, 2018, non Trichochloritis huberi (Thach, 2018). KEY WORDS: new synonyms, new combinations, splitting, poor taxonomy INTRODUCTION The description of Southeast Asian land snails be- descriptions of these species are housed in European gan in the late 18th century when European travel- museums. The majority of land snail genera have yet lers returned with large and conspicuous specimens. to be properly revised and many species described The most active period was the mid-late 19th and over a century ago have not yet been illustrated in early 20th centuries when colonial European natu- scientific literature. And, even when illustrated, ralists travelled the world to document its biodiver- these early descriptions do not necessarily demon- sity. Therefore, most specimens examined during the strate what we now consider as critical morphologi- 36 Barna Páll-Gergely, András Hunyadi, Kurt Auffenberg cal characters by which to differentiate species. The low quality of the published photographs, imprecise description of new Southeast Asian land snail spe- locality data, deficient literature surveys, and the lack cies, as well as their revision, generally requires the of examination or even mention of type specimens of examination of all type specimens. This work is often other species that should have been examined, raise challenging as some museums do not loan type spec- reasonable doubts concerning the validity of these imens so researchers must visit those collections to taxa. A few species have already been synonymised properly examine these types. (PÁLL-GERGELY & HUNYADI 2018, INKHAVILAY et al. Vietnamese malacologist NGUYEN NGOC THACH, 2019, SUTCHARIT et al. in press). at times with colleagues, published three non-peer The high number of new species and subspecies, reviewed, self-published books (THACH 2016a, assigned to 63 genera, makes it impossible to prop- 2017a, 2018a) and several papers (THACH & HUBER erly deal with them in a single contribution. Most of 2014, 2015, 2017, THACH 2015a, b, c, 2016b, c, d, e, the groups require extensive systematic revision that f, g, h, 2017b, c, d, e, f, 2018b, c, 2019a, b, c, d, e, f, g, may take several years each. Therefore, in this paper h, THACH & ABBAS 2017a, b). Most taxa in the publi- we comment only on those taxa that are obvious syn- cations were described solely by Nguyen Ngoc Thach, onyms, those that have been reviewed earlier, or on but occasionally with others, such as the Austrian those we are currently working. malacologist, Franz Huber. The lack of peer-review, MATERIALS AND METHODS All scientific names of THACH mentioned in this Abbreviations: CNHM – Chicago Natural study are validly introduced according to the ICZN History Museum, Chicago, Illinois (= FMNH), HA – Code, and thus, are available, validly introduced Collection András Hunyadi (Budapest, Hungary), names. The terms “valid species”, “valid taxon” and ICZN – International Commission on Zoological “validity” in the following refers to scientifically ac- Nomenclature, MNHN – Muséum National d’His- ceptable taxa (i.e. not synonyms). toire Naturelle (Paris, France), NHMUK and NHM – We examined the published photographs of spec- The Natural History Museum (London, UK), RMNH – imens or the actual type specimens described by National Museum of Natural History Naturalis THACH and his colleagues, and compared them with (Leiden, The Netherlands), SMF – Senckenberg specimens from other sources and figures published Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum (Frankfurt in the literature. am Main, Germany). RESULTS GENERAL REMARKS 1. In most cases it is obvious that the authors have not examined type specimens of similar species or Altogether THACH and his colleagues (see: their illustrations/photographs. Instead, they com- Introduction) described 246 land snail species and pared their specimens with images posted on shell subspecies from Southeast Asia (Cambodia: 5 taxa, dealer websites and other online sources (https:// Indonesia: 36 taxa, Laos: 51 taxa, Myanmar: 2 taxa, www.conchology.be/, http://www.bagniliggia.it, the Philippines: 1 taxon, Thailand: 11 taxa, Vietnam: Wikipedia, etc.) and popular science books (e.g. 140 taxa). Eleven of these were authored by Franz AbbOTT’s [1989] Compendium of Landshells). HUBER (“Huber in Thach”) in THACH’s books 2. Their general understanding of basic intraspe- (THACH 2016a, 2017a, 2018a), and one species was cific variability in some genera differs from ours described by F. HUBER in a paper authored only by and that of recently active malacologists working him (HUBER 2015). in the same geographic areas. As a result, minor Besides these, THACH described a species from differences in shell morphology and colouration Spain (Helicella candoni Thach in THACH 2018a: 72), observed between individuals are interpreted as and one from Madagascar (Kalidos huberi Thach in characters by which to distinguish species. This THACH 2018a: 43), and 88 marine and one fresh- has resulted in an unrealistic increase in species water species were described, which are not treated numbers, especially in the genus Amphidromus, here. Appendix 1 summarises all terrestrial species. which often differ in colour and colour pattern The general shortcomings of these publications even within populations. are: 3. They have placed new species in genera and fam- ilies that have not been recorded from Southeast Comments on N. N. Thach’s recent papers 37 Asia, but are known from the Neotropics 7. The ICZN (Art. 72.10) recommends that holo- (Streptartemon Kobelt, 1905, Helminthoglypta Ancey, types be deposited in institutions that can pro- 1887, Obeliscus Beck, 1837), Australia (Mysticarion vide proper care to allow examination by others. Iredale, 1941, Lamprellia Stanisic, 2010, Megalacron Despite this recommendation, holotypes of 18 I. Rensch, 1934, Mussonena Iredale, 1938), taxa were deposited in private collections. The and Madagascar (Tropidophora Troschel, 1847, holotypes of Amphidromus anthonyabbotti, A. lam­ Cyclotopsis W. T. Blanford, 1864), a clear sign of dongensis, A. montesdeocai, A. noriokowasoei, Pearsonia their lack of knowledge of evolutionary conver- franzhuberi, P. thachi, P. vilvensi, Pseudobuliminus hu­ gence and biogeography. A vast majority of land beri, Pseudopartula huberi and Pterocyclos schileykoi snail taxa are known to have limited dispersal are deposited in the private collection of F. HUBER, abilities, and most have clear geographically de- whereas the holotype of A. mariae is in the “Huber finable distributions. They are far more likely to Museum”, which may mean the same collection. be related to taxa that occur in the same geo- Amphidromus calvinabbasi, Camaena binhgiaensis, C. graphical area instead of those inhabiting different