The Mesozoic pectinid genera Velata and Eopecten and their type species (Bivalvia: Pteriomorphia)

Pectinidae were a speciose and morphologically diverse family in the Mesozoic, representing the most genus-rich family in the Jurassic. Their comparatively high representation in fossil faunas is favoured by their calcitic shells. Together with high levels of morphological variability and a long history of research, this has also caused taxonomic inflation both at genus and species level. Here, we discuss the nomenclatural history of a common group of largely Jurassic pectinids, variably known under the genus names Velata QUENSTEDT, 1857, Eopecten DOUVILLÉ, 1897, and Velopecten PHILIPPI, 1899. Especially Velata and Eopecten have been used interchangeably as names for the same taxon in the literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. However, the two names are based on the same type species and are thus objective synonyms. Tracing back a long history of incorrect spellings and erroneous assumptions of homonymy, we show that, contrary to the predominant opinion, Velata is the valid name. Moreover, our study of type collections and additional material in natural history collections revealed that the type species of Velata, Spondylus tuberculosus GOLDFUSS, 1835, is a junior subjective synonym of Velata abjecta (Phillips, 1829). We designate a lectotype for Spondylus tuberculosus and a neotype for Pecten abjectus, since the type material of the latter is lost. Finally, we discuss the ecology of the genus and provide a list of species introduced or presently considered to belong in Velata, along with information on type region, stratigraphic age, and literature.