Dec, 1909.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 117 



FIRST RECORD OF THE ANIMAL OF VOLUTA 

 MAMILLA, Gray; WITH REMARKS THEREON. 



By J. H. Gatliff and C J. Gabriel. 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 8th Nov., 1909.) 



Having learnt that the Commonwealth trawler Undeavonr had 

 obtained examples of Valuta mamiUa, Gray, with the animal 

 living, we v/rote asking the Director of Fisheries, Mr. H. C. 

 Dannevig, if he would be kind enough to furnish us with a 

 specimen so that we might obtain the radula. This he consented 

 to do, and upon the return from the last trawling trip to Gabo 

 Island, Mr. Burfield, the marine biologist of the vessel, handed us 

 two specimens with the animal living. A solution equivalent to 

 sea-water was made, and the shells were immersed in it for some 

 time in the hope that the animal would crawl, and a photograph 

 of it would then have been taken ; but some days had elapsed 

 since they had been obtained, and our eftbrt was unsuccessful, so 

 we had a photograph taken of the animal in situ, and two others 

 of it after extraction, in different positions, as shown in the accom- 

 panying plates. 



We selected the smaller specimen for investigation. The por- 

 tion discernible within tiie aperture was of a salmon-pink colour. 

 We extracted the radula ; it is very small, the length being 

 23 mm. and breadth at the middle 1.55 mm.; breadth of dental 

 area at same place i.i mm., with 95 three-cusped rachidian 

 teeth. 



The protoconch of both shells was absent, having broken away, 

 evidently owing to the excavations made in tiie test by a spongy 

 mass that was adhering to the dorsum. 



From the evidence that we have been enabled to collate it is 

 most probable that south-east Australia may be considered to be 

 the metropolis of this species, and this is the first record respecting 

 the animal. 



The photographs of the shell and animal have been kindly done 

 for us by Mr. W. D. Nicholas, and the radula by Mr. F. Chapman, 

 A.L.S., of the National Museum, Melbourne. 



The specimens were obtained by the Commonwealth trawler 

 Endeavour, 15 miles south-west of Gabo Island, Victoria, in 30 

 fathoms. The specimen photographed is — length 230, breadth 

 120 mm. ; and the other one is larger. 



Referring to the sponge mentioned above, Mr. F. Chapman 

 has kindly furnished us with the following note: — "A boring 

 sponge of the family Suberitidae (or Clionidae), differing from the 

 genus Cliona in the extreme rarity of the pin-shaped spicules, the 

 megasclera being of the form of slender, smooth, and spinulose 

 spicules, with an occasional barbed spicule. Related to the 



