DESCRIPTION 



OF A. 



NEW SOUTH AFBICAN MARINE GASTEEOPOD. 



BY 



G. B. SOWERBY, F.L.S. 



The remarkable Mollusc placed in my hands for examina- 

 tion by Dr. J. D. F. Gilchrist, of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, presents such a series of distinctive features that it 

 cannot well be placed in either of the recognised genera. It 

 is in fact difficult to determine to what Family it belongs, 

 having characters in common with the Volutid'ie, Bucctnidae, 

 and Fusidae. The most striking feature iu the shell is its 

 apex, the nucleus being large and of a curious bulb-like 

 form; otherwise the shell would be taken for a species of 

 Neptiinea (Bolton) =t'krysodomus (Swainson). The oper- 

 culum is quite similar to that of a Fusus, though small in 

 proportion to the aperture. On the other hand the soft parts 

 much more resemble the Voliitidae ; the radula is just like 

 that of Voluta, and quite unlike those of the Fusidae and 

 Buccimdae 



On the whole I have come to the conclusion that this new 

 form must take its place in or near the family Voluttdae. 



The shell bears some resemblance to Neptiinea norvegica 

 (Fusus norvegicus, Chemnitz) to which Morch gave the sub- 

 generic name Volutopsis. This has suggested to me the 

 name Neptuneopsis for the new genus, which may be placed 

 in the family Vohitidae. 



For the description of the anatomy of the soft parts I am 

 indebted to Mr. Martin F. Woodward, of the Royal College 

 of Science, and Hon. Secretary of the Malacological Society 

 of London. 



NEPTUNEOPSIS, nov. gen. 



Shell elongated posteriorly, with ovate body-whorl; 

 nucleus large, bulbiform; aperture rather large, Hp sHghtly 

 reflexed; columella simple, without plaits; operculum much 

 smaller than the aperture, oblong, horny, with nucleus at the 

 anterior exterity. 



