Abstract
The name Nucella heyseana var. elongata Golikov & Kussakin, 1962 was proposed for a ‘form of uncertain taxonomic level’, found in Kunashir and Sakhalin islands. However, this entity was previously recorded as Thais lamellosa (non Gmelin, 1791) (Kussakin 1956: 105–106, 108). In this description, the individual collected from southern shore of Kunashir Island was verbally described in the text and illustrated with a photographic image (Golikov & Kussakin 1962: 312–315, pl. 2, fig. 2c [‘в’ in Russian]). N. heyseana var. elongata was expressly proposed as an infrasubspecific entity, as a variation of N. heyseana (Dunker, 1882) specific to particular habitats. Therefore it is not an available name according the provisions of International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Articles 45.5 and 45.6.3 (ICZN 1999; hereafter the Code). According to Article 1.3.4 it should be excluded from the species group as not regulated by the Code. In 1974, Golikov & Kussakin described this form as the species Nucella elongata Golikov and Kussakin, 1962, mentioning the same entity (Golikov & Kussakin 1974: 295). This verbal description is identical with their previous text published in 1962, although the new species was not illustrated. However, the same specimen from Kunashir Island was clearly designated as the holotype repeating the same shell measurements and collecting location. In this and following publications N. elongata was reported from Kurile Islands and Sakhalin (Golikov & Kussakin 1978: 190–191, fig. 132; Golikov & Scarlato 1985: 426). In 1978, they repeated their texts dated 1962 and 1974 confirming the same specimen from Kunashir Island as the holotype preserved in Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (ZIN) collection, although they illustrated different shell (presumably a paratype, which we did not find in ZIN) obtained from southeastern Sakhalin.