404 Transactions. 



Art. XXXVIII. — List of Marine Molluscs collected in Otago. 



By Tom Iredale. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, l\th December, 1907.] 



When I was preparing my list of marine Mollusca of Banks 

 Peninsula I thought it would be interesting to compare that 

 fauna with the recorded marine Mollusca of Otago. The only 

 compilation I could trace was one prepared by the late Captain 

 Hutton, and included in the " Geology of Otago " by Hutton 

 and Ulrich, published as long ago as 1875. As, owing to nomen- 

 clatorial changes, as well as different ideas of specific values, 

 that list is now of little value, I, with my friend Mr. W. R. Brook 

 Oliver, determined to investigate the marine molluscan fauna of 

 Otago Peninsula. The chief reason that prompted us to choose 

 that locality was ease of access. At that time there was no 

 intention of making up a list, but we found the fauna so different, 

 and unexpected molluscs kept turning up to such an extent 

 that I have felt it imperative to record them. We worked up 

 the harbour from Dunedin to Port Chalmers ; then at two 

 localities near Cape Saunders — one north of the cape, the other 

 south ; thence at Sandfly Bay and the coast between that bay 

 and Ocean Beach. Later on we collected at Shag Point, Otago, 

 with the result that we found the fauna almost identical with 

 that observed on the south coast of Otago Peninsula. 



Our collecting was entirely in the littoral zone, and was 

 done very hurriedly ; consequently this list can only be regarded 

 a3 a contribution towards a complete list of this very interest- 

 ing fauna. One feature especially noticeable is the lack of 

 many certainly common species. To remedy this in some 

 degree I have noted in an addenda to this list such species from 

 Dunedin as are represented in the Otago Museum, together with 

 recent records of rare species I did not meet with. Two species 

 in the Otago Museum I have not included — viz.. Subemarginula 

 rugosa, Q. and G., and Monodonta subrostrata. Gray. I was 

 unable to examine these, but they appear to be doubtful identi- 

 fications. 



The outstanding features of our collecting were the finding of 

 two species of Modiolarca and a species of Photinula ; the abund- 

 ance of Chiton cereus, Reeve ; the occurrence of Callochiton pla- 

 tessa, Gould ; and the refinding of Cominella costata, Q. and G., 

 and Si/phonalia valedicta, Watson. 



