﻿S L E M Y A, 



Genus SOl.KMYA, Uiuwck. 



Ti.<ta crquivalvis, inaqiiilalcralis, transce'St' oblomja, 



ulrinquv o/(/i(,<a, epidermide coriieo, valulo, niUnli 



fusco, ultra maiyines vulvaniiii exiiitso iiidula. 



Cardo edentulus. Lii)(imtntuiii pniiim internum 



post callum trigonum inslriictuin. /nipiv/fiioncs 



dtiee remota, mbtriijona. 



.Shell equivalve, inequilatural, transvorsi'ly obl'in^', 



obtuse at each end, covered witli a strong shiny 



brown horny epidermis extending beyond the edges 



of the valves. Hinge without teeth, ligament 



partly internal, inserted behind a three-cornered 



atllus ; muscular impressions two, dist;int, subtri- 



gonal. 



To the four or five species previously known one has 



recently been described and well chanicterized by Mr. 



Kdgar ijmith, of the British Museum — namely, the Sol. 



Purkinsoni from New Zealand, which ai)pearsto be very 



distinct from the comparatively well-known Australian 



species. The northern parts of the United .States 



jiresent one or two species, which, with the familiar 



Solemya Mediterraneu, complete the little list. The 



Sokmyce, like the Solems and Myce, are mud-burrowers, 



.and from the construction of the foot and thinness of 



the shell leap with surprising activity. The shell is 



described as having a cardinal tooth in each valve, but 



the term seems quite inapplicable to the internal callus, 



behind which the ligament is inserted in a gioove. 



.Species 1. (Mus. Brit.) 



SoLEMYA occir>t:xT.\Lis. Sol. teUa parvd, angust't, 

 elongata ; latere postico brevissimo, margine latera/i 

 oblique ti-uncato; latere postico atlenuato, ad 

 terminiim acuminato. 



Titt; \vestki;n Solemya. Shell small, narrow, elongated ; 

 posterior side very short, lateral margin obliquely 

 truncated ; posterior side attenuated, acuminated 

 at the end. 



Desiiates. :MS. Brit. .Mus. 



Ilab. ? 



The specimens in the British Museum appear young, 

 and the sha]ie of the callus and ligamental insertion not 

 stdliciently developed to determine the distinctness of 

 the species. It is, however, a larger shell than Solerni/a 

 Mediterranca. 



Species 2. (Figs, a, b, c, Mus. Brit.) 



Solemya Meditekr.^nea. Sol. testd soleniformi, 

 elongatd, radiatd ; latere postico angustiusculo, 

 brevissimo, oblique truncuto ; latere antico elonyato, 

 versus termimiin ampliusculo ; callo cardinali 

 angusto, arcuato, oblique trigono ; area ligamen- 

 tiferd post callum trigond, inj'rdb lineatiiii pro- 

 ductd ; ligamento partim etiam in sulcam 

 obliquum lineurem ante callum instructo. 



The Meditehhanean Solemya. Shell soleniform, elon- 

 gated, rayed ; posterior side rather narrowed, very 

 short, obliquely truncated; anterior side elon- 

 gated, rather more ample towards the end ; 

 cardinal callus narrow, curved, obliquely trigonal ; 

 ligamental area behind the callus trigonal, linearly 

 produced below ; also a part of the ligament in- 

 serted in an oblique linear sulcus in front of the 

 callus. 



Lamaisck. Anim. s. Vert., ed. Deshayes, vol. vi. p. 125. 



Solemya Solen, Salis JIarchlius. 



Hah. Mediterranean. 



Species 3. (Mus. Brit.) 



Solemya Borealis. Sol. testd breviuscula, antice laid, 

 subtruncatd, posiice latissimo, ad terminum trun- 

 cato; callo cardinali trigono crasso, lato ; infra 

 bifurcato; impressione musculari anticd elongatd, 

 suhtrigond ; ejndermide crasso. 



The Boreal Solemya. Shell rather short, anteriorly 

 broad, rather truncated, posteriorly very broad^ 

 truncated at the end; cardinal callus trigonal, 

 thick, bro.ad ; bifurcate below ; anterior muscular 

 impression elongated, subtrigoual; epidermis thick. 



Apt 



187 



