300 Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(4) December 2003 Comment on the proposed conservation ofthe specific name of and designation of a neotype for Spongia ventilabrum Linnaeus, 1767 (currently Phakellia ventilahruin; Porifera) BZN (Case 3216; see 60: 16-19) Belinda Alvarez and Richard C. Willan Museum andArt Gallery ofthe Northern Territory, GPO Box 4646. Darwin, NT 0801, Australia As the result of a misunderstanding at the proof stage of this application, the Commission Secretariat introduced an error. Although Linnaeus (1767) originally spelt the specific name ventilabra, Johnson (1842) changed it to ventilabrum. Subsequently Johnson's spelling has prevailed (see Article 33.3.1 of the Code; the Secretariat holds a list of28 references that show prevailing usage). Accordingly, we make the following corrections to para. 11 of our application: (2) . . . type species by original designation Spongia ventilabrum Linnaeus, 1767; (3) toplace on theOfficial List ofSpecific NamesinZoologythename ventilabrum, as published in the binomen Spongia ventilabrum Linnaeus, 1767 . . . Comments on the proposed conservation ofMelania curvicostata Reeve, 1861 and Goniobasispaiipercula Lea, 1862 (Mollusca, Gastropoda) by the designation of a neotype for Melania curvicostata (Reeve, 1861) BZN (Case 3232; see 60: 109-112) (1) Wallace E. Holznagel Department ofBiological Sciences, College ofArts and Sciences, University of Alabama, 425 Scientific Collections Building, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0345, U.S.A. I fully support the application to set aside all previous type fixations and designate the specimen Florida Museum ofNatural History 292208 as the neotype ofMelania curvicostata Reeve, 1861 and to place on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology the specific names ofM. curvicostata and Goniobasispaupercula Lea, 1862. At present there is considerable interest and research in the molluscan fauna ofthe southeastern United States, which is considered to be a hot spot of freshwater biological diversity. To understand adequately the biodiversity of this region or any region and make informed conservation recommendations researchers need type material that truly reflects the original species description. The following four correspondents (2)-(5) have all pointed out the same Code- compliant resolution to this case. (2) L.B. Holthuis National Museum ofNatural History, Naturalis, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden. The Netherlands It is stated in the application that the specimen figured as Melania curvicostata by Reeve, 1861 is difl'erent from all the existing syntypes and probably is the only one of