378 Transactions. 



No stress can be laid upon the position of the apex, as under 

 A. pileopsis, Q. and G., Suter writes, " The situation of the 

 apex is also variable, but in the majority of shells it is marginal." 



The inside coloration varies much ; it may be brown, 

 yellowish-brown, yellowish-white, pale-blue, or bluish-white. 

 This last colour, which Suter mentions as typical of A. pileopsis, 

 Q. and G., is the usual colour of the inside, between the marginal 

 band and the spatula, of very large shells. 



Dark shells, sparsely blotched with white, and very dis- 

 tinctly striated, were collected at Lyttelton. Many of these 

 shells show a colour-pattern of a very peculiar character — viz., 

 from the apex to about half-way down the margin of each side 

 runs a series of white blotches ; when the shell is held up to the 

 light and viewed from the inside these blotches are clearly seen, 

 though other blotches visible on the outer surface are not. 



Shells tessellated with white, apparently smooth, undoubtedly 

 referable to cantharus were collected at Shag Point, Otago. No 

 signs of this colour-pattern were apparent on the outer sur- 

 face, yet when the shells were held up to the light these blotches 

 were the only ones visible from the inside. This unexpected 

 find was, to me, convincing evidence of the specific identity 

 of the two shells. 



I am therefore compelled to reduce A. cantharus, Reeve, to 

 an absolute synonym of A. pileopsis, Q. and G. 



The specimens which furnished the material for this review 

 were collected at Waipara Rocks, North Canterbury ; Taylor's 

 Mistake Bay, near Sumner ; Lyttelton Harbour ; south coast 

 of Banks Peninsula ; Shag Point ; • near Cape Saunders ; and at 

 Sandfly Bay, Otago Peninsula. 



An analysis of the habitats of A. pileopsis, Q. and G., and 

 A. cantharus, Reeve, as recorded by Suter, gives : A. pileopsis, 

 Q. and G. — North Island ; South Island as far south as Lyttel- 

 ton ; Snares Islands ; Auckland Islands ; Campbell Island. 

 A. cantharus. Reeve — West coast of South Island ; east coast of 

 South Island, from Oamaru down ; Macquarie Island. 



Therefore, instead, we now have — Acmcea pileopsis, Q. and 

 G. (synonym, Acmcea cantharus, Reeve, Suter, Proc. Mai. Soc, 

 vol. vii, p. 320, 1907) : Both islands of New Zealand: all the 

 Bubantarctic islands. 



Acmaea parviconoidea, Suter. 



Acmcea parviconoidea, Suter, Proc. Mai. Soc, vol. vii, p. 321, 



1907. 



To the localities mentioned by Suter I can add, near Cape 

 Saunders, Otago Peninsula. This is the furthest-south locality 

 yet recorded. 



