MELANOPSIS. 



Plate I. 



Genus MELANOPSIS, Lamarck. 



Testa conico-turrita, solida, epidermide luted aid intense 

 castaned indutd, aufraclibus quatuor ad septem, ple- 

 rumque Iambus; columella arcuata, supeme crasse 



callosa, ad basin brevitruncata, interdum subcontoria. 

 Operculum corneum, parvum. 

 Shell conically turreted, solid, covered with a yellowish or 

 dark-chestnut epidermis, whorls four to seven, gene- 

 rally smooth ; columella arched, thickly callous at 

 the upper part, shortly truncated at the base, some- 

 times a little twisted. Operculum horny, small. 



Melanopsis divested of Pirena and Ilemisinus, is a very 

 natural genus. The species are limited to ten, and their 

 geographical range is limited. The chief characteristics 

 are the presence of a thick callosity on the upper part of 

 the columella, and an abrupt truncature of its lower ex- 

 tremity. Along with these peculiarities the species are of 

 a conieally turreted form, of solid growth, not exceeding 

 seven whorls, and the genus embraces three very distinct 

 local types. 



In the rivers of New Zealand have been collected two 

 species of which the shell has a rather globose form of con- 

 volution, and the truncated extremity of the columella is 

 slightly twisted ; and there is a peculiar Melampus-like 

 form from New Caledonia. The other species are south 

 European and Asiatic, the home of this type being in the 

 rivers of Spain, and of Syria and the islands of the Levant. 

 Two species carry the genus into Persia, but they are 

 obviously small representatives of the European type. 



Species 1. (Eig. a and/, Mus. V. d. Busch. Fig. b, c, 

 d, e, Mus. Cuming.) 



Melanopsis Dufourii. Mel. testa ovalo-conicd, so- 

 lida, laevigata, griseo-lutesceute, castaueo st rigid d, ple- 

 rumque intense castaned, anfractibus septem, declivi- 

 gibbosis, spiraliler impresso-concavis, scepe valide ob- 

 tuse bicariiudis, anfractu ultimo multo majore ; aper- 

 turd ovatd, parviusculd, supeme anguste sinuatd, co- 

 lumella super ne crasse callosa, deinde subprofunde ex- 

 cavatd. 



Dupour's Melanopsis. Shell ovately conical, solid, 

 smooth, greyish-yellow, streaked with chestnut, gene- 

 rally very dark chestnut, whorls seven, slopiugly gib- 

 bous, spirally impressly concave, often strongly ob- 



tusely keeled, last whorl much the larger ; aperture 

 ovate, rather small, narrowly siuuated at the upper 

 part, columella thickly callous at the upper part, then 

 rather deeply excavated. 



Ferussac, Monog. Mem. de la Soc. d'Hist. Nat. de Paris, 

 vol. i. p. 153. pi. 8. f. 5. 



Buccina Maroccana, pars, Chemnitz. 



Hab. Spain and the Morea. 



So variable is this species that we have considered it 

 absolutely necessary to give figures of five specimens. It 

 will be seen that they are all of a sharply conical form, 

 and have a marked tendency to enlarge and become gib- 

 bous towards the base. Often the most prominent charac- 

 ter is the presence of two widely-separated, strong, obtuse 

 keels, winding about the shell ; but it is one of the most in- 

 constant. In some specimens it is scarcely traceable. 



Species 2. (Fig. a, b, Mus. Cuming.) 



Melanopsis Zelandica. Mel. testa ovatd, vel oblongo- 

 ovatd, crassinscidd, olivaced, interdum castaneo uni- 

 fasciatd, anfractibus quatuor, hevigcdis, declivi-gibbosu, 

 basin versus subcontractis, pr'unis tribus perparris ; 

 aperturd ovatd, in/erne subeffusd, columella supeme 

 crasse callosa, deinde excavatd, ad basin contorto-re- 

 curvd. 



The New Zealand Melanopsis. Shell ovate or ob- 

 long-ovate, rather thick, olive, sometimes encircled 

 with a chestnut baud, whorls four, smooth, slopingly 

 gibbous, somewhat contracted towards the base, the 

 first three whorls very small ; aperture ovate, rather 

 effused at the lower part, columella thickly callous at 

 the upper part, then excavated, coutractedly recurved 

 at the base. 



Goold, MS. Mus. Cuming. 



Hab. New Zealand, Swainson. 



This interesting New Zealand Melanopsis, sent to Eng- 

 land a few years since by Mr. Swainson, is of quite a dis- 

 tinct type, as might be expected, from the European species; 

 the base is more effused, and the columella has a very 

 characteristic recurved twist at the base. 



Species 3. (Fig. a, b, Mus. Cuming.) 

 Melanopsis Strangei. Mel. testa subgloboso-ovatd, 



February, 1860. 



