WoRMS taxon details
Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784)
590656 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:590656)
accepted
Species
Cantharidus (Cantharidus) opalus (Martyn, 1784) · alternative representation
Cantharidus iris (Gmelin, 1791) · unaccepted (junior objective synonym)
Cantharidus opalus cannoni A. W. B. Powell, 1933 · unaccepted (junior subjective synonym)
Cantharidus opalus var. biangulatus Suter, 1908 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Limax opalus Martyn, 1784 · unaccepted (superseded combination)
Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811 · unaccepted (junior objective synonym)
Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791 · unaccepted (junior objective synonym)
- Subspecies Cantharidus opalus cannoni A. W. B. Powell, 1933 accepted as Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) (junior subjective synonym)
- Variety Cantharidus opalus var. biangulatus Suter, 1908 accepted as Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) (unaccepted > junior subjective synonym)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent + fossil
(of Limax opalus Martyn, 1784) Martyn, T. (1784-1787). The universal conchologist, exhibiting the figure of every known shells. London, published by the author. 4 vols. 40 pp., 80 pls., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41889680 [details]
Type locality contained in New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone
type locality contained in New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (origin: native - endemic) [details]
MolluscaBase eds. (2026). MolluscaBase. Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=590656 on 2026-06-30
Date
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Nomenclature
original description
(of Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791) Gmelin, J. F. (1791). Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae, ed. 13. Tome 1(6). Vermes. G. E. Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig]. pp. 3021-3910. , available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/83098#5
page(s): 3580 [details]
original description (of Limax opalus Martyn, 1784) Martyn, T. (1784-1787). The universal conchologist, exhibiting the figure of every known shells. London, published by the author. 4 vols. 40 pp., 80 pls., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41889680 [details]
original description (of Cantharidus opalus cannoni A. W. B. Powell, 1933) Powell, A. W. B. (1933). The marine Mollusca of the Chatham Islands. <em>Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum.</em> 1: 181-208., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/60406360
page(s): 194 [details] Available for editors
[request]
original description (of Cantharidus opalus var. biangulatus Suter, 1908) Suter H. (1908). Additions to the marine molluscan fauna of New Zealand, with descriptions of new species. <em>Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London.</em> 8: 22-42, pls 2-3., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32058169
page(s): 22 [details]
original description (of Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811) Perry, G. (1811). Conchology, or the natural history of shells: containing a new arrangement of the genera and species, illustrated by coloured engravings executed from the natural specimens, and including the latest discoveries. W. Miller, London, 4 pp. + 61 pls., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41764832
page(s): pl. 47, fig. 1 [details]
basis of record Marshall, B. A. (1998). The New Zealand Recent species of <i>Cantharidus</i> Montfort, 1810 and <i>Micrelenchus</i> Finlay, 1926 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Trochidae). <em>Molluscan Research.</em> 19 (1): 107-156., available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.1998.10673711 [details]
page(s): 3580 [details]
original description (of Limax opalus Martyn, 1784) Martyn, T. (1784-1787). The universal conchologist, exhibiting the figure of every known shells. London, published by the author. 4 vols. 40 pp., 80 pls., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41889680 [details]
original description (of Cantharidus opalus cannoni A. W. B. Powell, 1933) Powell, A. W. B. (1933). The marine Mollusca of the Chatham Islands. <em>Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum.</em> 1: 181-208., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/60406360
page(s): 194 [details] Available for editors
[request]original description (of Cantharidus opalus var. biangulatus Suter, 1908) Suter H. (1908). Additions to the marine molluscan fauna of New Zealand, with descriptions of new species. <em>Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London.</em> 8: 22-42, pls 2-3., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32058169
page(s): 22 [details]
original description (of Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811) Perry, G. (1811). Conchology, or the natural history of shells: containing a new arrangement of the genera and species, illustrated by coloured engravings executed from the natural specimens, and including the latest discoveries. W. Miller, London, 4 pp. + 61 pls., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41764832
page(s): pl. 47, fig. 1 [details]
basis of record Marshall, B. A. (1998). The New Zealand Recent species of <i>Cantharidus</i> Montfort, 1810 and <i>Micrelenchus</i> Finlay, 1926 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Trochidae). <em>Molluscan Research.</em> 19 (1): 107-156., available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.1998.10673711 [details]
Other
additional source
Maxwell, P. A. (2009). Cenozoic Mollusca. Pp 232-254 in Gordon, D. P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. [details]
additional source Spencer, H.G., Marshall, B.A. & Willan, R.C. (2009). Checklist of New Zealand living Mollusca. Pp 196-219. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. [details]
additional source Spencer, H.G., Marshall, B.A. & Willan, R.C. (2009). Checklist of New Zealand living Mollusca. Pp 196-219. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (ed.) New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume one. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Authority Use of name from Martyn (1784) validated by ICZN Opinion 479. [details]
To Barcode of Life (5 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (10 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (19 publications) (from synonym Cantharidus iris (Gmelin, 1791))
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (22 publications) (from synonym Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (5 publications) (from synonym Limax opalus Martyn, 1784)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (60 publications) (from synonym Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Cantharidus opalus)
To GenBank (21 nucleotides; 5 proteins)
To Malacopics (Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) New Zealand, Marlborough, Awatere Co., Marfell Be...
To Malacopics (Cantharidus opalus (Martyn,1784) New Zealand, Marlborough, Awatere County, Marfells...
To Museum of New Zealand Te Papa (M.138236; Limax opalus Martyn, 1784; Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791; Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811, neotype) (from synonym Limax opalus Martyn, 1784)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (10 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (19 publications) (from synonym Cantharidus iris (Gmelin, 1791))
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (22 publications) (from synonym Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (5 publications) (from synonym Limax opalus Martyn, 1784)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (60 publications) (from synonym Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Cantharidus opalus)
To GenBank (21 nucleotides; 5 proteins)
To Malacopics (Cantharidus opalus (Martyn, 1784) New Zealand, Marlborough, Awatere Co., Marfell Be...
To Malacopics (Cantharidus opalus (Martyn,1784) New Zealand, Marlborough, Awatere County, Marfells...
To Museum of New Zealand Te Papa (M.138236; Limax opalus Martyn, 1784; Trochus iris Gmelin, 1791; Trochus acuminatus Perry, 1811, neotype) (from synonym Limax opalus Martyn, 1784)
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally, from synonym
Unreviewed
Hosted externally
Hosted externally
