116 SCAPHELLA. 



are more elongate. Possibly they are entitled to rank as a separate 

 subgeneric group ; but the characters of the protoconchs present 

 no serious diiferences from those of true Eopse/phia as found in 

 the Eocene of the Paris Basin, and the phenomena connected with 

 the columellar plications do not seem important enough to warrant 

 even subgeneric separation. 



Type. — Valuta muricina, Lamarck. 



Scaphella (Eopsephia) sarissa, Tate (sp.). 



1889. Volxfa sarissa, Tate, Trans. Eoy. Soc. South Aust. vol. xi. p. 129, 

 pi. ii. figs. \a-b. 



Protoconch (Plate IV. Pigs. 16a-b) composed of three turns, 

 the earliest being small, somewhat granular, and rising to a sharp 

 point in well-preserved specimens, later turns larger, flat, with 

 a bordered and deeply canaliculate suture, anterior portion spirally 

 lineate and longitudinally corrugated. Shell fusiform, turreted ; 

 whorls flatly convex, ornamented with spiral threads and angular 

 costpe, described by Professor Tate as follows: — "The rounded 

 spiral threads (about twelve on the first whorl), which are about 

 as Avide as the interspaces, increase in number with the revolution 

 of the spire. On the fourth and fifth whorls, adjacent to the 

 anterior suture, the threads are reduced to striae ; and on the 

 body-whorl the anterior half is smooth, or nearly so. The costse 

 begin to appear on the front half of the second posterior whorl, 

 and on the three anterior whorls have attained to stoutish, wedge- 

 shaped, slightly curved, angular ridges, which are continued in 

 subdued strength to the anterior sutxu'e, but do not reach the 

 posterior one. Last whorl with about nine transversely elongate 

 costte on the periphery, not much attenuated to the broadish open 

 canal, which is bent to the right and slightly reverted." The 

 columella carries five large, somewhat flattened plaits, the first 

 and fifth being smallest ; between these are occasional obscure 

 folds, especially noticeable in adult specimens. 



Dimensiojis. — Length 88 mm.; breadth 21*5 mm. ; length of 

 aperture 40 mm. 



Form, and Loc. — Eocene : Muddy Creek, Victoria. 



G. 4246. Three examples of the adult. 



Presented hi/ John Dennant, Esq. 



