U)4 THE KKCKNT MOLLUSCA OF TASMANIA. 



Of the naked, or shell-less, moUusca, there are a few that 

 have been described, and many yet to be identified. All- 

 portia expansa (Tenison-Woods) is a curious and interesting 

 form that is rather plentiful among the rocky pools at low 

 water. Of the Doris family, there are surely many, and 

 of Onchidiiim at least one, species to be found in similar 

 situations. 



Of the class Scaphuda, two species of Dentalmm and one 

 of Gadidus are recorded, whilst no Pteropoda are as yet 

 listed for Tasmania, I believe. Of Cephalopoda, we have 

 some ten known species, the internal shells, or, more 

 familiarly known, " Cuttle-bones," of the Sepice, being plenti- 

 ful on the beaches ; while the shell of the curious little 

 Spirula peronii (Lamarck) is not uncommon at times on the 

 East Coast. The beautiful " Paper Nautilus," Argonauta 

 nodosa (Solander), is occasionally found on the mainland of 

 Tasmania, but is more plentiful on the islands in Bass 

 Straits, where it is said to come in shoals about every five 

 or seven years, though it is difficult to obtain the larger 

 specimens, as the gulls break them so often in their eager- 

 ness to devour the animal. 



The largest of the Pelecypoda is Pinna tasrnanica (Teni- 

 son- Woods), which is found a foot long, and sometimes 

 covered with barnacles (Serpulce) and fair-sized oysters. 

 The young specimens are very pretty, of a pale greenish or 

 horny tint, semi-transparent, with curiously raised fluted 

 scales at the broader end. Venus lameUata is a beautiful 

 shell Vv^ien its pink frills are perfect. Cochlodesnia angasi 

 (Crosse and Fischer) is sometimes plentiful, and of a large 

 size, on the sandy beaches, but the gulls are fond of these too. 

 Anatina creccina (Valenciennes) is also to be found in the 

 North ; Mactra rufescens (Lamarck) is often so abundant 

 at Port Soreil that it becomes a weariness to the collector ; 

 Venus gallinula (Lamarck), V. rohorata (Hanley), Tapes 

 fahageUa (Deshayes), Gari zonalis (Lamarck), Tellina alhin- 

 ella (Ibid), Bosinid ccerulea (Reeve), D. grata (Deshayes), 

 Cytherea rutila (Sowerby), C. diemensis (Hanley), Crassa- 

 tella kingieola (Lamarck), Cardiuni tenuicostatum (Ibid), 

 Barhatia carpenteri (Dunker), Axincea striatularis (La^ 

 marck), Mytilus ater (Frauenfeld), Modiula australis (Gray), 

 VvlseUa ovata (Lamarck), with five species of Pecten, are 

 among the most attractive of the bivalves usually to be 

 found on the Tasmanian beaches. Trigonia margaritacea 

 (Lamarck) is somewhat local, Bruni Island being a good 

 place for it. The rare Choristodon ruhiginosum (Adams 

 and Angas) occurs in the East and South. Several species 

 of Myodora are also found, and Panopcea australis (Sowerby) 



