Iredale. — Suter' a " Manual of the New Zealand Mollusca." 479 



The name above given, with Helix novarae Pfeiffer as sole species and 

 type, will call attention to the nature of this mollusc, and probably some 

 investigator will endeavour to fix its place in connection with extra-limital 

 species. 



Fam. Flammulinidae Iredale. [P. 621.] 



Suter's classification of the land Mollusca is decidedly an improvement 

 on anv preceding it, but still emendations must be made. Thus, Suter 

 diagnoses his family Phenacohelicidae, and notes, " tail with a mucous 

 pore," as contrasted with the family Endodontidae (p. 684), whose chief 

 feature is ' l no caudal mucous pore." 



Study of the Neozelanic land molluscs in connection with my Kermadec 

 molluscs and in conjunction with the majority of Australian species led 

 me to suggest the above family-name (Proc. Mai. Soc. (Lond ), vol. x, 

 p. 382, 1913). I there showed that the presence or absence of a caudal 

 mucous pore was not constant in the " Endodontidae" and concluded that 

 it was certainly valueless as a family character. 1 noted Suter himself 

 had previously indicated this conclusion, so that it should not have been 

 utilized in the present work. I further added that Suter had claimed the 

 nature of the jaw as characteristic of the Flammulinidae, and I suggested 

 that shell features would prove of more satisfying value than the evanescent 

 caudal mucous pore. I advocated the recognition of many genera, instead 

 of few, and I now see that Suter has divided the genus Endodonta into 

 numerous groups, but has not given these names. I have not carefully 

 studied all these yet, but from a close criticism of the Australian species 

 I found constant characters for separation in the sculpture of the nuclear 

 whorls, the ratio of coiling, the form of the umbilicus, and also adult 

 sculpture, so that I am certain easily recognized groups could be named. 

 I pointed out that Pilsbry's classification, upon which Suter's is based, 

 has been since amended by himself in the manner I propose. 



A few criticisms may be hereafter given, but a monographic consider- 

 ation of the Neozelanic forms must be carried out under a scheme covering 

 Australian and Pacific' forms. The latter are very imperfectly known, 

 and I would again emphasize the sometimes overlooked fact that the 

 classification being used by Suter has already been rejected by its author 

 as inadequate. My own remarks in this connection in the paper quoted 

 above have been endorsed by most workers both here and in America. 

 Dr. Pilsbry has written me that recent study of the Sandwich Island 

 " Endodonts " has given him ground for drafting a rearrangement of the 

 Pacific forms, and that he agrees that too much lumping has hitherto been 

 done, and that the caudal mucous pore has been a " will-of-the-wisp." 



Phelussa gen. nov. [P. 622.] 



Phelussa is here provided to replace Phacussa Hutton, 1883, which is pre- 

 occupied, and I name Helix hypopolia Pfeiffer, 1853, as type of my genus. 



The distribution given of the genus by Suter reads, *' New Zealand 

 and Tasmania." In this case Suter is probably correct, but when he 

 studied Tasmanian shells his generic locations were not sound, and he 

 has since rejected most. 



In this connection he includes Lord Howe Island in the distribution of 

 his family Phenacohelicidae, but I have seen no species from that island 

 (nearly one hundred are now known to me) which could reasonably be 

 included in any of the fourteen genera he recognizes in his familv. Lord 



