2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 79 



TEREDO (NEOTEREDO) HEALDI, new species 



Plate 1, liss. 1-r, 



Shell large, subglobose, yellowish white, excepting the central 

 portion of the median area which is a little darker; the interior 

 is bluish white. The extreme anterior edge forms a moderately deep 

 sinus bordered by a moderately thick callus. From the inner edge 

 of this callus the dental ridges spread in a fan-shaped manner. The 

 earlier of these dental ridges have been eroded, but 56 of them re- 

 main, of which the later are much more closely spaced than the 

 early ones. The earlier ridges are separated by spaces about three 

 times as wide as the ridges at their posterior extremity, while in 

 the last portion of the space that separates the dental ridges is less 

 than the width of the ridges at their posterior extremity. These 

 ridges are finely denticulated at the free border. The sides of these 

 dental ridges slope much more abruptly dorsally than ventrally. 

 The anterior median portion is moderately broad and is marked 

 by closely approximated denticulated ridges, of which 38 are present 

 in a line parallel with the ventral border of the anterior part. These 

 ridges join those of the anterior part at a considerably larger angle 

 than a right angle. The cusps on these dental ridges are large and 

 single cusped and not denticulated. The central median portion is 

 somewhat depressed, its anterior border being strongly marked off 

 from the posterior, anterior portion; its anterior half being marked 

 by rough, irregularly curved transverse lines. The posterior median 

 portion is about as wide as the anterior and middle median portion 

 combined, and is marked by rough lines of growth which curve more 

 abruptly anteriorly than on the posterior part where they assume 

 a decidedly dorsal slant. The posterior part forms only a moder- 

 ately strong auricle, which is slightly concave and is marked by 

 inconspicuous wrinkled lines of growth. It should be said here that 

 the dorsal portion of the shell in adult specimens, including the 

 auricle, is badly eroded. The suture joining the anterior and median 

 portion is not conspicuous on the inside. The central median por- 

 tion is marked by a shallow roughened groove, bearing a con- 

 spicuous knob at its ventral termination. The anterior portion of 

 the posterior part projects over the median part as a strong shelf. 

 The blade, projecting from the umbone, is irregular in shape and 

 extends obliquely a little more than half-way across the inside of 

 the shell, having its origin immediately beneath the quite promi- 

 nent umbonal knob. The pallets are spoon shaped, cupped at the 

 distal extremity with a stalk one and one-half times the length of 

 the blade. The stalk shows as a rib on the inside of the blade. 



The type, Cat. No. 381921, TJ. S. N. M., was taken from a piling 

 by Mr. K. C. Heald, at Cabimas about 20 miles southeast of Mara- 



