Bivalvia | Unionida | Hyrioidea | Hyriidae | Velesunioninae | Velesunio

species Velesunio ambiguus (Philippi, 1847): synonymy

612 specimens + 1 GenBank voucher

Synonymy

image of type lot

Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847

specimen image from publication‘Parreyss’ Philippi, 1847. Abbild. Beschr. Conch. 3: 47, pl. 3, fig. 2.
(renamed Unio philippianus Küster, 1861)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE BMNH_41-4-29-103, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Westralunio ambiguusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael (1957), McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), ... Klunzinger et al. (2021), Graf & Cummings (2021), Sonowal et al. (2021), Klunzinger et al. (2022), Ponder et al. (2025)
Hyridella (Velesunio) ambiguaHaas (1969)
Velesunio ambiguaGraf (2000), Graf (2002)
Velesunio ambiguous [sic]Graf & Cummings (2006), Pfeiffer & Graf (2015)
Velesunio cf. ambiguusPonder et al. (2025)

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Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850

Conrad, 1850. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 5: 10.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE ANSP_189249, Balonne River, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Velesunio balonnensisIredale (1934), Modell (1942), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), Graf & Cummings (2007), Graf & Cummings (2021)
Hyridella (Velesunio) ambiguaHaas (1969)

Unio balonensis ‘Conrad’ of Authors

‘Conrad’ of Authors.
Lea, 1852. Synopsis Fam. Naiades: 33.
Reeve, 1864. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 18, sp. 81.
(error for Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850)

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Unio vittatus Lea, 1859

Lea, 1859. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 11: 153.
specimen image from publicationLea, 1860. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 4 [O. 7]: 249, pl. 38, fig. 128.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE BMNH_1958-4-3-1, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) vittatusSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Velesunio shuttleworthiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Unio philippianus Küster, 1861

specimen image from publicationKüster, 1861. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 235, pl. 79, fig. 2.
(new name for Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847)

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Westralunio ambiguusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), Klunzinger et al. (2022)

image of type lot

Unio (Alasmodon) evansi Adams & Angas, 1864

Adams & Angas, 1864. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 39.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE BMNH_40-10-26-42, Lagoons of Lower Murray River, South Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) evansiSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Velesunio evansiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Unio danellii Villa, 1871

Villa, 1871. J. de Conch. 19: 328.
Type(s): SYNTYPE MNHN_MP_0038, Australia meridionale.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Velesunio danelliiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Unio jeffreysianus Lea, 1871

Lea, 1871. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 23: 188.
Lea, 1874. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 8 [O. 13]: 23, pl. 7, fig. 20.
Type(s): FIGURED SYNTYPE USNM_84849, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) jeffreysianusSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Velesunio danelliiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Hyridella australis ‘Lamarck’ of Authors

‘Lamarck’ of Authors.
E.A. Smith, 1882. J. Linn. Soc., Zool. 16: 309.
Ortmann, 1912. Nautilus 25(9): 100.
Simpson, 1914. Descr. Cat. Naiades: 1297.
Cotton & Gabriel, 1932. Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria 44(2): 155, pl. 16, fig. 1.
(misidentified reference to Unio australis Lamarck, 1819)

Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961)

Unio daniellii ‘Villa’ of Authors

‘Villa’ of Authors.
Simpson, 1900. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 22: 891.
Simpson, 1914. Descr. Cat. Naiades: 1298.
(error for Unio danellii Villa, 1871)

Unio protovittatus Hale & Tindale, 1930

Hale & Tindale, 1930. Rec. South Austral. Mus. 4: 154, fig. 9.

Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)
Velesunio protovittatusPonder et al. (2025)

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Velesunio balonnensis adjunctus Iredale, 1934

specimen image from publicationIredale, 1934. Austral. Zool. 8: 59, 76, pl. 3, fig. 3; pl. 4, fig. 3.
Iredale, 1943. Austral. Natural. 11: 88.
Iredale, 1943. Austral. Zool. 10: 189.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (ORIG. DESIG.) AMS_12003, Richmond River, New South Wales, Australia [-28.867, 153.05 ± 100 km].

Velesunio balonnensis adjunctusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Velesunio balonnensis intricatus Iredale, 1934

specimen image from publicationIredale, 1934. Austral. Zool. 8: 60, 76, pl. 3, fig. 2; pl. 4, fig. 2.
Iredale, 1943. Austral. Zool. 10: 189.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850)
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (ORIG. DESIG.) AMS_61725, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia [-23.367, 150.533 ± 10 km].

Velesunio balonnensis intricatusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Velesunio mckeowni Iredale, 1943

Iredale, 1943. Austral. Natural. 11: 88, fig. 1.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE AMS_61721, Murrumbidgee River at Leeton, New South Wales, Australia [-34.617, 146.383 ± 10 km].

Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Velesunio testatus Iredale, 1943

Iredale, 1943. Austral. Natural. 11: 88.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE AMS_61699, Murray River at Benthagi (Backwater), New South Wales, Australia.

Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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Velesunio transitus Iredale, 1943

Iredale, 1943. Austral. Natural. 11: 89.
Type(s): LECTOTYPE AMS_61691 (by McMichael & Hiscock, 1958: 392), Nepean River nr Camden, New South Wales, Australia [-34.067, 150.7 ± 10 km].

Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Unio fairfieldi in coll. UMMZ of Authors

in coll. UMMZ of Authors.

Unio ambiguus E.A. Smith, 1882

‘Parreyss’ E.A. Smith, 1882. J. Linn. Soc., Zool. 16: 309. [in part]
(reference to Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847)

Velesunio balonnensisIredale (1934)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael & Hiscock (1958)

Velesunio ambiguous Graf & Cummings, 2006

‘Philippi’ Graf & Cummings, 2006. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 148: 348, table 2.
‘Philippi’ Pfeiffer & Graf, 2015. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 175(2): [4].
(error for Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847)

Taxonomic History (since 1900)

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australisSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) vittatusSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) evansiSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) jeffreysianusSimpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Westralunio ambiguusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio balonnensisIredale (1934), Modell (1942), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio shuttleworthiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio evansiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio danelliiIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio balonnensis adjunctusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio balonnensis intricatusIredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguusMcMichael (1957), McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), ... Klunzinger et al. (2021), Graf & Cummings (2021), Sonowal et al. (2021), Klunzinger et al. (2022), Ponder et al. (2025)
Hyridella (Velesunio) ambiguaHaas (1969)
Velesunio ambiguaGraf (2000), Graf (2002)
Velesunio ambiguous [sic]Graf & Cummings (2006), Pfeiffer & Graf (2015)
Velesunio cf. ambiguusPonder et al. (2025)
Velesunio protovittatusPonder et al. (2025)