SOLETELLINA. 



Plate I. 



Gonus SOLETELLINA, Be Blahmille. 

 Testa oblougo-trausversa vel ovata, compressa, plerumqu 



(eqidvalvk, mbaquilateralis, lavigata vel concentrice 

 striata, plerumqite purpurea, poslice sape biradiata, 

 epidennide corned inditta, latere atUico rotundato, pos- 

 tico vario, mine brevi, iruncato, nunc acuminato, um- 

 boiiibm parvis. Cardo dente unico parvo ereclo in 

 valvd sinistra, duobus in valvd sinistra interdum M- 

 farcaiis. Ligamentum subamplum, externum, sub cal- 

 lositate oblougd conspicud inte>'7id positutn. Impressio 

 mnscidarix palUi ampliter sinuata. 

 Shell oblong-transverse or ovate, compressed, generally 

 equivalve, nearly equilateral, smooth or concentri- 

 cally striated, generally purple and mostly two-rayed 

 posteriorly, covered with a horny epidermis, anterior 

 side rounded, posterior various, sometimes shortly 

 truncated, sometimes acuminated, umboes small. 

 Hinge with a single small erect tooth in the left 

 valve, two teeth in the right valve, sometimes bifur- 

 cated. Ligament rather large, external, placed upon 

 a conspicuous oblong internal callosity. Muscular 

 impression of the mantle largely sinuous. 

 The genus SoletelUna was founded by Dc Blainville in 

 his ' Manuel de Malacologie ' for the purpose of grouping 

 together " four or five species of Soleii of Lamarck." He 

 does not particularize the species, but takes Lamarck's 

 Solen rostratiis (Solen diphos, Linnaeus) as the type. The 

 genus, as lately arranged and named by M. Deshayes in 

 Mr. Cuming's cabinet, includes but this one Lamarckian 

 species. It includes also the Solen orbicitlatics of Wood, 

 In(.le,x. Test. Supplement, typical of another section ; and, 

 agreeing with these two very well-defined types, we intro- 

 duce a series of twenty-one characteristic species. 



The species of large size allied to S. diphos are from 

 the Moluccas or Philippine Islands. Of the other division 

 of the geuus the finest and most characteristic example is 

 S. Nuttallii, from California, and an allied species, S. Ja- 

 ponica, which iuiiabits a nearly similar latitude in the 

 opposite hemisphere. An intermediate, represented by 

 J. uitida, appears in New Zealand. 



1. (Mus. Cuming.) 



SoLETELLiN.v coNsoBRiNA. Sol. testd ovato-transversS , 

 jlexuoso-arcuald, sufixquilaterali, rugoso-striald, pur- 



pnrascente-camled, epidermide corned olivaced indutd, 

 latere antico subangitste rotundato, postico oblique 

 truncato, compress!; rostrato. 



The allied Soletellina. Shell ovatcly transverse, 

 flexnously arched, nearly equilateral, roughly striated, 

 purple-blue, covered with an olive horny epidermis, 

 anterior side rather narrowly rounded, posterior ob- 

 liquely truncated, compressly beaked. 



Deshayes, MS., Mus. Cuming. 



Ilab. Philippine Islands ; Cuming. 



Distinguished by a compressed beak-like flexure on the 



posterior side. 



Species 2. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Soletellina nymphalis. Sol. testd ovato-transversd, 

 snperne trigond, plam-compressd, vix aquilaterali, 

 Icevigatd, fulvescente-carned, nitente, versus umbones 

 roseo-tinctd, epidermide lutescente corned prope mar- 

 ginem indutd, latere antico late rotundato, postico 

 breviore, subattennato-rostrato. 



The water Soletellina. Shell ovately transverse, tri- 

 angidar at the upper part, flatly compressed, scarcely 

 equilateral, smooth, fulvous-flesh, shining, stained 

 with rose towards the umboes, covered near the mar- 

 gin with a yellowish horny epidermis, anterior side 

 broadly rounded, posterior shorter, somewhat atte- 

 nuately beaked. 



Deshayes, MS., Mus. Cuming. 



Ilab. Australia. 



An Australian species, of a distinct typical character 



from the preceding, flat and smooth, sloping triangidarly 



on each side from the umboes. 



Species 3. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Soletellina epidekmia. Sol. testd ovato-transversd, 

 convexiusculd, vix aquilaterali, rude plicato-striatd, 

 sordide calcareo-albd, versus umbones carneo-tinctd, 

 epidermide corned fulvd nitente indutd, latere antico 

 lata rotundato, postico breviore subattenuato-rostrato. 



The epidermid Soletellina. Shell ovately transverse, 

 rather convex, scarcely equilateral, rudely plieately 

 striated, dull chalk-white, flesh-tinged towards the 

 umboes, covered wilh a fulvous shining horny epi- 



1837. 



