Notes on South African Mollusca. 113 



eroded as almost to have lost its shape ; but taken together the 

 shells appear to be a little longer in the spire and less solid than 

 the generality of Tristan examples, and the interior is bright corneus 

 instead of purple-brown. However, the difference in colour may 

 be due to the effect of alcohol on the Tristan shells, while the 

 length of spire is not a constant feature among specimens from the 

 last-named locality, so that there are no good grounds for regarding 

 the South African form as distinct from M. tristanensis, unless a 

 larger series can be collected and proves to be specifically different. 



MARINULA VELAINI, nom. nov., 1915. 



1877 Marinula nigra, Phil., var. minor, Velain, Arch. Zool. Exper. 

 vi. p. 125 PL IV, f. 25. D.F. 



Shell small, ovate-acuminate, imperforate, not very solid, 

 dark corneous. Spire short, acute, sides very slightly convex. 

 Whorls 3i, very rapidly increasing, very slightly convex, with no 

 sculpture except an occasional growth-line. Aperture large, acumi- 

 nate-ovate, outer lip thin, simple. Columella furnished with 3 

 dental processes (i) a long, curved tooth near, and parallel to, the 

 outer lip; (ii) a shorter, curved tooth, at right angles to the columella 

 and half-way between the upper tooth and base ; (iii) a minute 

 projection just below the foregoing. 



Dimensions of a specimen in the British Museum : Long. 6'8 ; 

 lat. 4-2 ; apert. 5-0 x 2-2 ; last whorl 6'3 mm. 



Animal unknown. 



Hal. ST. PAUL'S and AMSTERDAM ISLANDS (Velain ; McGillivray). 



Type uli ? 



The Type measured 7 - 5x4'5 mm., and the author states that the 

 maximum size observed was 9'0 x 5 - mm. 



Velain also remarked : " This Marinula is identical with that 

 described from the Island of Tristan d'Acunha by Philippi under 

 the name of M. nigra, but it is of much smaller size and must be 

 considered as a var. minor of this species." 



But even if M . tristanensis has reached the Atlantic coast of Africa, 

 it is most unlikely to have found its way round the Cape and half- 

 way to Australia ; in addition to which, the disparity in size between 

 it and Velain's var. minor is constant and considerable. 



On both geographical and conchological grounds, therefore, the 

 latter should be separated from the Tristan shell, and, if really 

 distinct from M. maindroni, it appears fully worthy of specific rank. 

 I venture to name it in honour of its original describer. 



