606 studies on australian mollusca, 



The Thiphop.id.e of New South Wales. 



Investigation proves that the well known name of Triforis can 

 no longer be used at the current valuation If maintained at all, 

 it must be restricted to a minor group typified by the eocene 

 fossil, T. plicata, Deshayes. 



It has been generally understood (for example, by Fischer, 

 Man. de Conch., 1884, p. 678) that the genus in question was 

 first proposed in 1824 as Triforis by Deshayes in ' Descrip. 

 Coquilles Fossiles des Environs de Paris ' (ii. p. 429). Though 

 the title-page of this volume is dated "1824," the notice in ques- 

 tion did not appear till much later. Thus Menke, writing in 

 1830, knew nothing of " Triforis,''^ and failed to include the name 

 in his ' Synopsis Methodica Molluscorum.' Xewton states* that 

 pages 427 to 498 of Deshayes' work were issued in 1834. This, 

 then, is the date to be assigned to '^Triforis" of Deshayes. 

 There are vague hints in literature that Basterot referred to 

 ^^Tri/oris" in 1825. A paper by Basterot is contained in the first 

 volume of the Memoires Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris (1825, pp. 1-100). 

 This I have been unable to consult, but since no one has claimed 

 that Basterot established the genus, I shall presume that the 

 reference was a mere allusion, not of s3'stematic importance. 



Blainville mentioned the genus (Man. de Malac. i., 1825, p. 404) 

 as a division of Cerithium under the French popular names 

 " Triphore ou Tristome." Certain authors have wrongly received 

 this as a Latin generic name Tristoma, which, however, would 

 fall before Cuvier's Tristoma (1817). 



Later Blainville regularly characterised the genus under the 

 name Triphora (Diet. Sci. Nat. Iv., 1828, p. 344) with T. gemma- 

 turn, Blainville ( = T. tristoma, Blainville) as type. This name 

 Triphora was noted in the following year by Menke, and in the 

 year after by Rang. 



Later Deshayes published, in 1832, the name Trlphoris (Encyc. 

 Meth. ii., p. 1053). Finally, as alread}^ stated, Deshaj^es described 

 Triforis in 1834. 



* K. B. Newton, Brit. Mus. Cat. Eocene Moll., 1891, p. 309. 



