species Velesunio ambiguus (Philippi, 1847): synonymy

Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847

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

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australis — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) australis — Simpson (1914)
“Westralunio ambiguus” ** — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael (1955), McMichael (1957), McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), ... Ponder et al. (2025), Nagel (2025), Campbell & Lydeard (2026), Lawrie et al. (2026), Prié et al. (2026)
Hyridella (Velesunio) ambigua — Haas (1969)
Velesunio ambigua — Graf (2000), Graf (2002)
Velesunio ambiguous [sic] — Graf & Cummings (2006), Pfeiffer & Graf (2015)
Velesunio cf. ambiguus — Ponder et al. (2025)

Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850

Conrad, 1850. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 5: 10.
LECTOTYPE [AS HOLOTYPE] ANSP_189249 (by McMichael & Hiscock, 1958: 392), Balonne River, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australis — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) australis — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio balonnensis — Iredale (1934), Modell (1942), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael (1955), McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), Graf & Cummings (2007), Graf & Cummings (2021)
Hyridella (Velesunio) ambigua — Haas (1969)

Unio balonensis ‘Conrad’ of Authors

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

Unio vittatus Lea, 1859

Lea, 1859. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 11: 153.
Lea, 1860. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 4 [O. 7]: 249, pl. 38, fig. 128.
HOLOTYPE BMNH_1958-4-3-1, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) vittatus — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) vittatus — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio shuttleworthi — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Unio philippianus Küster, 1861

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

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australis — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) australis — Simpson (1914)
Westralunio ambiguus — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992), Klunzinger et al. (2022)

Unio (Alasmodon) evansi Adams & Angas, 1864

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

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) evansi — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) evansi — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio evansi — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

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.
FIGURED SYNTYPE USNM_84849, Australia.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) jeffreysianus — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) jeffreysianus — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio danellii — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Unio danellii Villa, 1871

Villa, 1871. J. de Conch. 19: 328.
SYNTYPE MNHN-IM-2000-1670, Australia meridionale.

Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) australis — Simpson (1900)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) (Group of D. menziezi [sic]) australis — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio danellii — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Hyridella australis ‘Lamarck’ of Authors

(misidentified reference to Unio australis Lamarck, 1819)
‘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.

Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961)

Unio daniellii ‘Villa’ of Authors

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

Microdontia ovata Haas, 1910

Haas, 1910. Nachr. Bl. Dtsch. Malak. Ges. 42: 100.
Haas, 1911. Conch. Cab. 9 (pt. 2, h. 43): pl. 16, fig. 5.
Haas, 1913. Conch. Cab. 9 (pt. 2, h. 48): 161.
LECTOTYPE SMF_3531 (by Zilch, 1967: 121), N. Guinea; Umg. v. Konstantinhafen ? [revised to mainland Australia].

Microdontia ovata — Haas (1910), Haas (1913), Modell (1964)
Nodularia (s.s.) (Group of N. contradens) ovata — Simpson (1914)
Velesunio ovata — McMichael (1956), Bogan (2010)
Velesunio ovatus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969)
Velesunio ovata [sic] — Graf & Cummings (2007)
Velesunio ambiguus — Nagel (2025)

Unio protovittatus Hale & Tindale, 1930

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

Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)
Velesunio protovittatus — Ponder et al. (2025)

Velesunio balonnensis adjunctus Iredale, 1934

(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850)
Iredale, 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.
HOLOTYPE (ORIG. DESIG.) AMS_12003, Richmond River, New South Wales, Australia [-28.867, 153.05 ± 100 km].

Velesunio balonnensis adjunctus — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Cotton (1961), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Velesunio balonnensis intricatus Iredale, 1934

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

Velesunio balonnensis intricatus — Iredale (1934), Iredale (1943)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969), B.J. Smith (1992)

Velesunio testatus Iredale, 1943

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

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

Velesunio transitus Iredale, 1943

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

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

Velesunio mckeowni Iredale, 1943

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

Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & 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

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

Velesunio balonnensis — Iredale (1934)
Velesunio ambiguus — McMichael & Hiscock (1958)

Velesunio ambiguous Graf & Cummings, 2006

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