REPORT ON THE LAMELLIBRANCHIATA. 121 



posterior dorsal area channelled in each valve, and the dextral one overlaps the left 

 posteriorly. All are more or less distinctly four-rayed, in some instances, as in Venus 

 magnijica and Venus resticulata, only towards the umbones. After comparing closely 

 these various forms, I am of opinion that no constant differences would be found whereb}' 

 they might be separated if a verj^ large series, say a thousand specimens from various 

 localities, were studied. Tliey appear to 1)e races, just as the genus Homo is represented 

 by numerous races. The typical Venus puerpera probably never attains the large size 

 of the variety Venus clathrata, yet an intermediate is seen in Venus listeri, so that a 

 large specimen of the latter and a small one of the former resemble one another, and in 

 fact are the same species. The wider and more lamelliform ril)s on the posterior side of 

 Venus listeri vary considerably, and I do not consider this sufficient to mark that form 

 as a distinct species, and it is even (juestionable whether Vemis multicostata, Sowerby, 

 from Panama, should l)e separated. The typical form of Venus magnijica is very 

 remarkable on account of the jJurplish tone of its external colouring, which in itself is 

 not a sufficient specific, difference, seeing how variable this form is in this respect. The 

 form of the shell may vary from neaidy globular to transversely quadrate-ovate, and the 

 pallial sinus is more acute in some specimens than others. 



Venus (Antigona) lamellaris (Schumacher). 



Antigona lamellaris, Schumacher, Essai, p. 155, jil. xiv. fig. '1. 



Dosina lamarddi, Gray, Analyst, vol. viii. p. 308. 



Venus lamarclcii, Reeve, Conch. Icon., fig. 39, a, h. 



Venus lamarcMi, Pfeiffer, Conch.-Cab., ed. 2, p. 142, pi. viii. iigs. 10, 11. 



Venus lamarclcii, Sowerby, Thesaurus, pi. cliii. figs. 20, 21. 



Venus suhrostrata. Wood, Ind. Test. Suppl., p. 58, pi. ii. fig. 7. 



Venus suhrostrata. Reeve, Conch. Syst., pi. Ixviii. fig. 4. 



Venus nodjilosa, Sowerby, Thes. Conch., p. 708, pi. cliii. fig. 16. 



Habitat. — Torres Strait, in 5 to 11 fttthoms. 



This species has also l^een recorded from Japan, China, and Wide Bay, East Australia. 



Venus (Anaitis) pap>hia, Linne, var. 



Venus x^iphia, Linnc, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, p. 1129. 



Venus pajAia, Reeve, Couch. Syst., vol. i. pi. Ixviii. fig. 1. 



Venus paphia. Reeve, Couch. Icon., vol. xiv. pi. xix. fig. 89, and pi. xxiii. fig. 11G« (as Vemig 



cypria, Sowerby). 

 Venus paphia, Sowerby, Thes. Conch., p. 720, pi. civ. fig. 61. 

 Vaius paphia, Pfeiffer, Conch.-Cab., ed. 2, p. 130, pi. vii. figs. 4-6. 

 Venus paphia, Carpenter, Report Moll. West Coast North America, 1864, p. 571. 



Habitat. — St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands, in 7 to 20 fathoms (Challenger, and 

 J. Macgillivray in Brit. Mus.). 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. PAUT XXXV. — 1885.) Mm 16 



