86 GASTROPODA. [Aspidobraiirhi't. 



Type in the British Museum. 



Hab. Eastern shores of the South Island, from Stonyhurst to 

 Preservation Inlet ; Chatham, Bounty, and Auckland Islands. 



Remarks. This also is a variable species, the elevation of the 

 apex sometimes approaching that of a somewhat depressed H . strigilis. 

 The two are very nearly allied. 



6. Helcioniscus stelliferus, Gmelin, 1790. Plate 7, fig. 21. 



Patella stellifera, Grael.. Syst. Nat., ed. xiii, 3719. Patinella stellifera, 

 Hutton, P.L.S. N.S.W., ix, 378. H. stellifera, Grael., Man. Conch. 

 (1), xiii, 141, pi. 70, f. 43-45 ; Suter, P. Mai. S., vi, 350 ; Iredale, T.N.Z.I., 

 xl, 380. Patella stellularia, Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. Astrol., Zool., 

 iii, 1834, 347, pi. 70, f. 18-2(1. 



Shell depressed oval, reddish or black, with granular ribs. Sculp- 

 tured by numerous radiate ribs, of which about 10 to 20 are more 

 elevated than the others ; all the ribs are cut up into granules by 

 strong concentric furrows. Sometimes the ribs are more equal, but 

 the concentric sculpture is always prominent. Colour usually reddish, 

 but often black, brown, or cinereous ; there are white rays at the 

 apex, forming a star, but they frequently extend to the margin, and 

 sometimes they are altogether absent. Apex at the anterior third 

 or fourth. Interior white, cinereous or greyish-brown, showing all 

 the white star-shaped rays ; iridescent in fresh specimens ; centra] 

 area not well defined, chestnut-brown. 



Length, 25 mm. ; breadth, 19 mm. ; height, 7 mm. Length, 

 .32 mm. ; breadth, 27 mm. ; height, 11 mm. 



Dentition unknown. 



Hah. Cape Maria van Diernen ; Bay of Islands (J. C. Anderson) ; 

 Lyall Bay to Island Bay, Cook Strait ; Queen Charlotte Sound, in 

 6 fathoms (Captain Bollons) ; Nelson ; New Brighton ; Campbell 

 Island, on rocks (Captain Bollons). Brought to England by Captain 

 Cook. 



Subsp. phymatius, Suter, 1905. Plate 5, fig. 18. 



Helcioniscus stelliferus, Gmel., subsp. phymatius, Suter, P. Mai. S., vi, 350, 



fig. in text. 



Distinguished from the species by the high conical form and the 

 strongly nodulous ribs. The shell is solid, oval or oblong, high conical, 

 the height somewhat less than half the length of the shell. Apex at 

 about the front third, more or less denuded. There are about 24 

 strongly nodulous radiate ribs, crossed by strong concentric lines of 

 growth. As in the species, a white star or white bands extending 

 to the margin are present, and the colour is yellowish-red. The an- 

 terior slope is straight or slightly convex. Interior silvery-white ; 

 central area white, sometimes tinged with light brown. 

 Length, 27 mm. ; breadth, 21 mm. ; height, 12 mm. 

 Type in my collection. 



C ok Strait ; Banks Peninsula (Iredale) ; Bay of Islands. 



