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Show 1871.] MR. E. A. SMITH ON WEST-AFRICAN SHELLS. 727 4. A List of Species of Shells from West Africa, with Descriptions of those hitherto undescribed. By E D G A R A. SMITH, Zoological Department, British Museum. [Eeceived November 13, 1871.] (Plate LXXV.) The British Museum has lately received (1870) a series of shells from the Slave Coast, West Africa. They were all collected by the late Capt. Knocker, R.N., the majority of them being dredged at Whydah, on the Dahomey shore. As the knowledge of precise localities is always of value to the zoologist, in furtherance of a knowdedge of geographical distribution, I thought it would be useful to publish the following list, at the same time adding descriptions of those species which appear to be new to science. CONCHIFERA. 1. VENUS DECLIVIS, Sow. jun., Thesaur. Conch, ii. p. 730, 157. f. 123, 124. Hab. West Africa. Mr. Sowerby gives " Eastern Seas " as the locality of this species. 2. VENUS CASINA, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 1130. Hab. Whydah. This well-known European species has not been before recorded from West Africa. Mr. R. M'Andrew found it at the Madeira Islands. 3. DIONE FLORIDELLA, Gray, Analyst, viii. p. 306. Hab. Whydah. 4. DIONE VIRGO, Gray, Cat. Cyth. Anal. viii. p. 306. Hab. Whydah. This species is also found at Java (Cuming). Capt. Knocker collected a variety, which is of a broader and more depressed form than typical specimens. 5. DIONE TELLIN_EFORMIS, Phil. Abbild. Conch, iii. p. 59, pl. 9. f. I. Hab. Whydah. 6. TRIGONA TRIPLA, Linn. Mantissa, p. 545. Hab. West coast of Africa. 7. TELLINA (MACOMA) UMBONELLA, Lamk. Anim. s. Vert. ed. 2, vi. p. 606. Hab. Whydah. This species is also found at Port Lincoln, South Australia (Angas, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 647). |