Taxonomy
Original drawing of Turbo pulcher Reeve, 1842.
Turbo kenwilliamsi was first called Turbo pulcher Reeve, 1842 and later Turbo intercostalis Menke, 1843. However for nomenclatural reasons (discussed in Williams, 2008), neither of these names is acceptable.
The name Turbo pulcher Reeve, 1842 is preoccupied by Turbo pulcher Dillwyn, 1817, a fact noted by several authors (Iredale, 1929; Tomlin, 1936; Joll, 1980; Williams, 2007). The authors suggested that Turbo intercostalis Menke,1843 was an alternate name. However this name refers to a completely different species. Williams (2008) proposed the replacement name Turbo kenwilliamsi in honour of Kenneth F. Williams, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.