16 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1888. 



A BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND SYNONYMIC CATALOGUE OF THE 

 GENUS ACHATINELLA, 



BY W. D. HARTMAN, M. D. 



The genus Achatinella,^ embraces a group of small, beautiful and 

 variously colored land shells, peculiar to the Sandwich Islands. 

 Mr. Swainson first introduced the genus to the notice of naturalists 

 in Brand's Journal, in 1828, and in 1831 the same author assigned 

 it a position in the systematic arrangement of species, under the 

 above name. Since that period manj^ new species have been describ- 

 ed by naturalists. Dr. L. Pfeiffer in the Malakozoologische Blatter, 

 and subsequently others have proposed sub-divisions for the numer- 

 ous and diversified forms embraced by the genus. In some 

 instances the lines of these sub-divisions are well-defined, while in 

 others they are less marked. They have been generally adopted by 

 conchologists, as they are found convenient for the arrangement of 

 a collection. Mr. Thomas Bland says "the distinctions derived 

 from the consideration of the form of the shells are arbitrary, and the 

 limits are not well defined." His classification of the sub-divisions 

 of the genus, is chiefly founded on the structure of the lingual den- 

 tition, "which indicates three groups, a. Partulina and Achatinella 

 h. Newcomhia and Laminella, and c. Leptachatina ; judging from the 

 shells alone, Bulimella and Apex belong to group a, while Labiella 

 belongs to group 6 or c rather than to a." This arrangement is 

 chiefly in accord with that of Dr. Pfeifler and Mr. William H. Pease, 

 for the details of which I must refer the reader to their several pa- 

 pers. I agree with Dr. Pfeiffer in eliminating Carelia and Auricu- 

 lella as separate genera from Achatinella, and I also concur with 

 Dr. Gulick in the opinion that Frickella should be added to Auri- 

 culella. I am also in accord with Mr. Lovell Eeeve in the opinion 

 that the small common shells for which Dr. Gould proposed tho 

 name of Leptachatina, should be removed from Achatinella, as they 

 are mox'e nearly allied to the Oleacinidte than to the Bulimidie, and 

 they differ from Achatinella in being oviparous while the latter are 

 viviparous. In consequence of the connection heretofore existing be- 



* Although AtiHculella possesses the same form of dentition as Partula 

 and Achatinella, Dr. Pfeiffer has placed it in a separate genus, on conchological 

 grounds, in which I concur. These minute shells, would seem to have no place 

 in a serial arrangement of the genus Achatinella. Species marked f are in the 

 author's collection. 



