52 THE NAUTILUS. 



SOME NOTES ON PYRAMIDELLID NOMENCLATURE. 



BY TOM IKEDALE. 



The study of Pyramidellid Mollusks is attended with great diffi- 

 culty, and systematic treatment of the family has not been attempted 

 within recent years until the investigation of American forms was 

 undertaken by Messrs. Dall and Bartsch. Great praise is due to 

 their efforts which have been crowned by the publication of a Synop- 

 sis of the Genera, Subgenera and Sections of the family Pyramidel- 

 Iida3. This is included in their Monograph of West American 

 Pyramidellid Mollusks (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 68, 1909) and 

 inasmuch as the preface includes the remark " In all cases the 

 synonymy of group names adopted has been based on researches 

 which began with the typical species of the original authors," one 

 would expect exact quotations. It is deeply to be regretted that in 

 the preparation of the Synopsis due care was not given to the veri- 

 fication of the introduction of the divisional names chosen. As a 

 consequence errors have been perpetuated and workers in remote 

 localities will now further add confusion. To such, on account of 

 lack of literature, are denied the means of verification, and the data 

 provided by Messrs. Dall and Bartsch will be copied without criti- 

 cism. The practical value of the work done by Messrs. Dall and 

 Bartsch is immense, and there can be no doubt that their conclusions 

 will in the main be unquestionably accepted. It is much against 

 my will that I should have to point out blemishes regarding their 

 quotations of literature. However it is only by means of criticism 

 that we can hope to attain completeness, and I herewith indicate a 

 few errors in the hope that when the East American Pyramidellid 

 mollusks are monographed a revised and corrected Synopsis will be 

 included. All the references to Dall and Bartsch in the succeeding 

 notes are to the paper above mentioned. 



ACT^EOPYRAMIS Fischer. 



On p. 17 Monotygma Gray. Syn. Brit. Mus., 1840. I note this 

 only to point out that in the Synopsis of the British Museum, 1840 

 and 1842, lists of nude generic names are given by Gray, and though 

 often quoted these have no scientific value as of that place. No 

 indication whatever appears as to species. 



EULIMELLA. 



Dall and Bartsch, on p. 10, write 



