Attribution of the taxon name Echinoidea to Schumacher, 1817

Abstract

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), The Interagency Taxonomic Information System (ITIS, Report Taxonomic Serial No 157821), and Wikispecies all identify Leske (1778) as the author of the taxon Echinoidea. They base this attribution on the synonymy of Durham et al. (1966: U297) who stated “Class ECHINOIDEA Leske, 1778 [nom. transl. Bronn, 1860, p. 295 (ex order Echinoidea d'Orbigny, 1852 [sic], p. 114, nom correct. pro ordo Echinus Leske, 1778, p. xvi [sic])].” This confusing construction led to a strange result in which the taxon Echinoidea was attributed to an author who never used that name (Leske), whilst it deprived the author who established it (Schumacher) and the one who first conceived the grouping (Bruguière) of any credit. This note examines the works of various authors credited with the authorship of the taxon Echinoidea, particularly Leske, d'Orbigny, von Zittel, and Bronn, and concludes that the taxon Echinoidea should be attributed to Schumacher, 1817.