Resurrection of an old forgotten name: the case of the Pliocene to Recent bryozoan Cleidochasmidra portisi (Neviani, 1895) from the Mediterranean

The discovery of living and dead specimens of bryozoan colonies currently assigned to Cleidochasmidra canakkalense Ünsal & d’Hondt, 1979 and concomitant examination of Neviani’s type material in the collections of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” allowed the conspecificity between this taxon and Smittia (Phylactella) portisi Neviani, 1895 to be explored. Neviani’s name has priority and the new combination Cleidochasmidra portisi (Neviani, 1895) is here proposed. First SEM photos of C. portisi support this proposal and contribute to illustrate the intraspecific variability of this species relating to the development of ovicells and frontal avicularia, the morphology of the orifice and the peristome, as well as the size of the orifice and the ovicell. The ability of C. portisi to grow beyond its substratum, and to colonise gravel-sized clasts on soft sediments of the intermediate to outer shelf settings occupied by different biocoenoses is described. This extant species, recorded as early as the Early Pliocene, is possibly endemic to the Mediterranean