THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



No. 113. MAY 1846. 



XXXVII. — Description of a new genus of Pulmonary Gasteropods, 

 By G. J. Allman, M.B., F.R.C.S.I. &c. 



[With a Plate.] 



In the autumn of 1842, William Andrews, Esq., of Dublin, dis- 

 covered in the county of Kerry a molluscous animal nearly allied 

 to Arion, which, as he perceived it to be possessed of consider- 

 able interest, he kindly placed in my hands for investigation. 



A careful examination of the mollusk now proved, that though 

 it came very near to Arion, it was nevertheless incapable of being 

 united either with that or with any other previously established 

 genus, and the construction of a new generic group was accord- 

 ingly deemed necessary. 



At a meeting of the Dublin Natural History Society in Ja- 

 nuary 1843, I described the new mollusk under the name of 

 Geomalacus maculosus, characterizing the genus as follows : — 



Nov. gen. Geomalacus. 

 Gen. Chae. Corpus productum, lanceolatum, carinse expers ; paU 

 Hum scutiforme, ovatum ; spiraculum in margine anteiiori pallii ; 

 foramen genitale pone radicem tentaculi minoris dextri ; testa so- 

 lida, plana, subovata. — Ab Arione differt hoc genus situ foraminis 

 genitalis, a Limace cauda glandulifera et situ anteriori spiraculi. 



1. G. maculosus, unica species quam in rupibus madidis comitatus 

 Kerriensis repentera invenit Gulielmus Andrews. PI. IX. 



From the above description it will be seen that Geomalacus 

 maculosus is a species of much zoological interest, constituting 

 as it does a remarkable link between Arion and Limax. It is an 

 exceedingly beautiful animal, measuring when creeping about 

 two inches in length ; the colour of the shield and upper part of 

 the body is black, elegantly spotted with yellow ; the under sur- 

 face of the foot light yellow, and divided into three nearly equal 

 bands ; the edge of the foot is brown with transverse sulci. 



Besides the typical variety, which is that now described, a se-. 

 Ann. ^ Mag, N, Hist, Fb/.xvii. Y 



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