Description of Some New Forms of Pseudo- 



monotis from tlie Upper Coal Measures 



of Kansas. 



Contribution from the Paleontological Laboratory, No. 4: 



i;V I. W. BEEDE. 



With Plates— X VIII. XIX. 

 Tiie genus Psciidoinoiiotis is variable. Some authors would 

 include most of the forms under a single species, while others 

 would make at least a dozen species of them. King* recognizes, 

 in the Permian of England, three species; P. spcliincaria, radialis 

 and gar/or/In-iisis, and seems to be inclined to consolidate the first 

 two of these. Waagenf makes P. speliincaria a group and asso- 

 ciates the following forms as "varieties or whatever any one may 

 like to call them:" P. i^arforfhnisL^, radialis, and kazanaisis, besides 

 describing new Indian forms. He previously remarks concerning 

 the species P. speliincaria, that it "is one of the most puzzling that 

 exists in pakeontology ; and though I have studied a great number 

 of specimens of it from the German Zechstein, I have not come 

 to a satisfactory conclusion as to its specific characters. There is 

 no doubt that all the different forms which have been described as 

 Avic. speliincaria, radialis, garforthensis, kazanensis, hawni, Ostrca 

 mater cilia, and many other species are very nearly related to each 

 other, and that in most cases intermediate forms exist which will 

 make a distinction very difficult indeed, but nevertheless I should 

 not like to advocate that all these names should be abandoned, 

 and only the name Ps. speliincaria be retained. It would, for in- 

 stance, give a very inadequate idea of the forms of shells occurring 

 in India, if we were to quote simply the name Ps. speliincaria, as 

 just that typical form to which that name was originally applied in 



*Mon. Per. Foss. Ens . PP- lo-t-158. 



+Paleontologia Indica. Salt Rause Fossils, iii Pelecypoda, p. 276, el seii- 



(79) KAN. UNIV. QUAR., VOL. VIII, NO. 2, APR , 1899, SERIES A. 



