﻿V E L Pi I T A. 



Genus VELOIUTA, Graij. 



M.il.r.l-SOIM ACKPK.'I.nl'UI.rM. I'.I.MrS.lI.nSfM, FLUVIATILE. 

 Tr.l.i rn,..„l, ,.„/„/,;, ,r,i,urnlr., .,>;drr,„idc erassd, 

 iiitrnt: inJiihl; i,.„il,uiu'l,n!< ./ rardiiir ^,'paratis : 

 rardine crasso, uirdque valvd dentihus trihus car- 

 dinalibus divergontibus ; dentibus lateralibus, an- 

 lico breviusmdo, angulaio, postim elongato. Pallii 

 impressio postice angulatim simiosa. Ligameiitum 

 exlfirnum, magnum. 

 Mollusc ACErHALOPODOus, bimusculak, fluviatile. 

 Shell thick, solid, eqaivalve, covered with a 

 thick, shining epidermis; nmboes separated from 

 hinge. Hinge thick, with three diverging car- 

 dinal teeth in each valve ; lateral teeth, anterior 

 rather short, angular, posterior elongated. Im- 

 pression of the mantle posteriorly, angularly 

 sinuated. Ligament external, large. 

 The twd species de>cribed are from Japan and 

 Cochin, in India. The former is the well-known 

 Vdorita cypriHoideit, and the latter recently described 

 by Mr. Smith of the British Museum. We are un- 

 acquainted with the so-called Yelorlta recurvafa of 

 Valenciennes. The solidity of the shell, the very 

 peculiarly angular front latei'al tooth, and the separa- 

 tion by a small area of the umboes, are the charac- 

 teristics of the geuns. 



Species 1. (Mus. Sowerby.) 

 Velorita CYi'KiNOiDES. Vel. testd altissimd, solidissimd, 

 tumidissimd, valdc obliqud, liris concentricis dis- 

 tantibtis, plen)mqnr. ad latera continuis rugatd, 

 intiis albd, nl ro^eo cialaceoque tinctd; latere 

 aiitico brcrissuno, /" r/u ndiculari, infra umhones 

 area siibrot >ind,i , ptn II III III d ; latere postico producto, 

 infra acuviiualo, amjulato, sahcarinato, pust angu- 

 lum planukUo. 



The 



\'ku 



high, 



solid, very tumid, very oblique, wrinkled with 

 distant concentric ridges, for the most part con- 

 tinued to the sides, white, or tinged witli rose 

 or violet within ; anterior side very short, per- 

 pendicular, with a rather rounded, flattened area ; 

 posterior side produced, acuminated below, 

 angular, slightly keeled, flattened behind the 

 angle. 



Oeay. ? MS. Brit. Mus. 



Ilah. Japan. 



Species 2. (Mus. Brit.) 

 V'elokita Cochtnensis. Vel. testd subuvatd, laid, 

 obliqud, subcompressd, liris concentricis distttntibi(s, 

 plerumque postice post medium discontimns rugatd, 

 intiis salmoned et aurantid; latere antico brevi, 

 fere perpendiculari, infra umbones planulatd ; 

 latere postico oblique producto, vix carinato, angu- 

 lato, post anguhim planulato, ad termiuum suli- 

 truncato. 

 The Cochin Velorita. Shell snbovate, broad, ob- 

 lique, subcompressed, wrinkled with distant 

 concentric ridges, for the most part discontinued 

 posteriorly behind the middle, salmon and orange 

 within; posterior side obliquely produced, hardly 

 keeled, angular, flattened behind the angle, trun- 

 cated behind the middle. 

 Hanlet. Smith, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875. 

 Hab. Cochin, Kinderpore, Madras. 



The differences between this and the former species, 

 consisting in the greater breadth and less elevated 

 apex of the latter, the tendency of its wrinkles to 

 stop near the anterior half of the shell, are more 

 comparative than positive, and, in a number of speci- 

 mens, some are found in which these characters are 

 almost interchangeable. 



