^ig^sl ^^'^'> ^olluscan Fauna of the Ftivneaux Group. 55 



ON SOME INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE MOLLUSCAN 

 FAUNA OF THE FURNEAUX GROUP. 

 By W. L. May. 

 (Communicated by A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S.) 

 {Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 14th April, 191 3.) 

 In November last 1 joined the Ornithologists' Union on their 

 trip to the Furneaux Group, '^ and made the most of every 

 opportunity to study the moUusca. Owing to the great 

 difficulty of getting about from place to place, the great extent 

 of the archipelago, and the little time available, not very 

 many places were visited. On the whole, the most prolific 

 spot was the vicinity of the native settlement, where we were 

 camped ; more time was also available for its examination. 

 I also visited Beagle, Babel, Cat, and Forsyth Islands, and 

 Lady Barron, on the south coast of FHnders Island. I 

 have also examined a small collection made at Kangaroo 

 Island, to the east of Fhnders Island. 



The shells of these islands belong to the Southern Australian 

 province, but the assemblage, so far as investigated, is inter- 

 esting as being at the point of contact of the north and east 

 coasts of Tasmania and the south-eastern extremity of Aus- 

 tralia, and showing species that are common to all these 

 divisions, but some of which are only known from one or other 

 of them No species pecuhar to the islands was seen except 

 a land snail. Helix barrenensis, Petterd, which was plentiful on 

 Babel Island, but not seen elsewhere. The Chitonidse showed 

 three Australian species not previously recorded for Tasmanian 

 waters. Two others were only known from the north-west 

 coast. The ubiquitous Ischnochiton crisptis, Reeve, was fairly 

 common, and also I. mayi, which is an east coast species. On 

 the other hand, C. p ellis-ser p entis, Quoy and Gaim., usually so 

 abundant on most of our coast-line, was represented by a 

 single specimen on Beagle Island. /. australis. Sow., and 

 Plaxiphora petJiolata, Sow., were plentiful. Mytilus erosics, 

 Lamk., is the common mussel there, being equally at home in 

 the sandy mud-flats or attached to rocks. I only know of 

 two other Tasmanian localities — viz., Blackman's Bay (in the 

 south) and on the north-west coast. The two species — 

 M. plamdatus, Lamk., and M. rostratus, Dunker — so common in 

 the southern bays were not seen. An interesting record is 

 Glycimeris fiammea. Reeve, which has been traced down the 

 eastern Australian coast, and as far as Lakes Entrance, Gipps- 

 land. It occurred on Forsyth Island, at the south-east point 



* An excursion party from the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria 

 visited the Furneaux Group in November, 1893. A report of the visit, 

 with a map of the group, appeared in the Naturalist for February, 1894 

 (x., p. 167).— Ed. Vict. Nat. 



