OCR Text |
Show 262 MR. E. A. SMITH ON THE MOLLUSCA [May 6, yellowish hand beneath the suture, the uppermost whorls of the spire (some of which are obliquely costate) being ornamented with squarish spots both above and at the lower part. This species is quoted by Dr. Brot from Halmaheira, Solomon Islands, and Wokan, Aru Islands. 18. MELANIA ,-EREA, Reeve. Hab. Camiguin Island, Philippines. It is not mentioned either by Reeve or Brot from which of this group of islands their specimens were obtained. The two ' Challenger ' shells are smaller than the type figured by Reeve, being only \\ inch long. One of them has rather more convex whorls than the other, with their upper part comparatively unsculptured ; the latter, on the contrary, being spirally sulcate throughout. Both are more or less coated with a dark reddish earthy deposit. 19. MELANIA, sp. Hab. Aru Islands. Four specimens of a small Melania were collected, which approach very closely to several species, judging from the published figures. They are very like M. christobalensis of Brot (Conch.-Cab. pi. 21. figs. 16, 16 a), except that the whorls are shorter. Beneath a black earthy coating they are olivaceous, merely sculptured by lines of growth, and all eroded at the upper part of the spire, leaving only four volutions remaining. As many as thirteen species have already been recorded from the Aru Islands. 20. NERITINA VARIEGATA, Lesson. Hab. Aru Islands. The colours of the eleven specimens from these islands are, with the exception of a small part of the body-whorl above the columella, entirely concealed by a black earthy deposit. The red patch on the columella is very vivid in some of them and paler in others. The aperture is bluish white outside and greenish within the operculum, which corresponds exactly with the description given by Dr. von Martens (Conch.-Cab. ed. 2, p. 99). All the specimens have the apex more or less eroded, but not to the extent of A", wallisianum, Recluz, which is but a large variety of this species, of which there are specimens in the British Museum from the Fiji and Navigator Islands. 21. NERITINA CORNEA, Linn. Hab. Amboyna. For the distribution of this species see Martens's monograph in the ' Conchylien-Cabinet.' 22. NERITINA BREVISPINA, Lamarck. Hab. Camiguin, Philippine Islands. Of the three specimens collected all agree in having the suture bordered below with an interrupted black band, but otherwise are |