132 Annals of the South, African Museum. 



strength of these points, Astarte lierzogi should be excluded from 

 this division of the genus, though in reality these characters are of 

 very small value and appear to be sufficiently inconstant to be dis- 

 carded as guides to the sub-generic grouping. The hinge-characters 

 above described, on the other hand, are remarkably constant in 

 several Cretaceous forms which differ in regard to the marginal 

 crenulation, and it appears that the posterior indentation of the 

 pallial line is only of specific value at the most, appearing occasion- 

 ally, as in a few other " integripalliate " genera. A shallow pallial 

 sinus is shown to be present in the figures of Aptian shells ascribed 

 by Pictet and Eenevier ::: to Astarte buclii F. Roem. and A. obovata 

 J. Sow., and in both of these the margin is crenulate. Astarte striata 

 J. de C. Sow., from the Blackdown Beds of England, shows very 

 close agreement with E. lenticularis, and, like it, has a shallow sinus 

 and a smooth margin. Then again, the same shell agrees closely in 

 the hinge and other features with Astaric lierzogi, though the latter 

 has a crenulated margin. This last character, indeed, is clearly one 

 of very small significance. In dealing with Astarte and its divisions, 

 von Zittel t has ignored the notching of the margin, while several 

 authorities on the living forms have abandoned this structure as even 

 of specific value. \ Eegarding the value of the distinctive characters 

 of Eriphyla, as here accepted, in establishing its claim to the rank of 

 a separate genus, opinions may be expected to differ ; I am not 

 convinced that a definite separation from Astarte is expedient, or 

 warranted by the features which distinguish Eriphyla from typical 

 members of that genus, and I therefore prefer for the present to 

 follow Zittel in employing the name Astarte in the broad sense, and 

 including Eripyhla as a sub-genus. 



In tracing the relationships of A. licrzogi, it is somewhat surprising 

 to find that the closest agreement is exhibited with shells from the 

 Neocomian of Lincolnshire. These occur in the Claxby Ironstone 

 at Willingham and Benniworth Haven, and are most probably to be 

 assigned to a horizon comparable with a part of the zone of Belem- 

 uitcs lateralis or possibly the lowest part of the zone of Belemnites 

 jaculum at Speeton ; specimens are preserved in the Museum of 

 Practical Geology in London, and in the Sedgwick Museum at 

 Cambridge, and have been identified by Mr. Woods as Astarte lavis 

 (Phill.).:j The similarity to A. licrzogi is striking, but the following 



* Pictet and Eenevier (1), pi. x., tig. 1; xi., fig. 1. 

 f Zittel (5), p. 65. J See Jeffreys (1), p. 309. 



Pavlow and Lamplugh (1), p. 29 (of authors' copy); Pavlow (1), able, 

 p. 548. || Woods (3), vol. ii., p. 115 (1906). 



