﻿34 
  

  

  MOLLUSC 
  A. 
  

  

  BY 
  

  

  EDGAE 
  A. 
  SMITH. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Brazier's 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  Mollusca 
  

   of 
  the 
  ' 
  Chevert 
  ' 
  expedition 
  * 
  there 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   published 
  any 
  work 
  of 
  importance 
  treating 
  exclusively 
  on 
  the 
  forms 
  

   of 
  North 
  and 
  North-eastern 
  Australia. 
  Dr. 
  Tapparone-Canefri 
  has 
  

   written 
  a 
  few 
  papers 
  on 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  Papua, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   species 
  have, 
  at 
  various 
  times, 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  different 
  works 
  

   and 
  periodicals 
  by 
  Reeve, 
  A. 
  Adams, 
  "Watson, 
  and 
  others, 
  from 
  Port 
  

   Essington, 
  Torres 
  Straits, 
  and 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Queensland. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  range 
  as 
  far 
  as, 
  or 
  oven 
  

   further 
  north 
  than, 
  the 
  Philippine 
  Islands, 
  and 
  westward 
  to 
  Swan 
  

   Eiver, 
  and, 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases, 
  to 
  Ceylon 
  and 
  the 
  Mauritius 
  ; 
  but 
  

   the 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  fauna 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  Malayan, 
  

   although 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  limited 
  in 
  their 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  Archipelago. 
  

  

  I. 
  CEPHALOPODA. 
  

  

  1. 
  Octopus 
  polyzenia. 
  (Plate 
  IV. 
  figs. 
  A-A 
  3.) 
  

   Gi-ay, 
  Cat. 
  Ceplial. 
  Antepcd. 
  Brit. 
  Mus. 
  p. 
  13. 
  

   Animal 
  small 
  (perhaps 
  young), 
  minutely 
  and 
  closely 
  granulated 
  

   upon 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  head, 
  arms, 
  and 
  connecting 
  web 
  ; 
  the 
  

   lower 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  head, 
  funnel, 
  and 
  web 
  above 
  it 
  being 
  more 
  

   sparsely 
  granulated. 
  Body 
  (in 
  spirit) 
  wider 
  than 
  long, 
  rounded 
  at 
  

   the 
  end, 
  exhibiting 
  a 
  faint 
  central 
  ventral 
  groove 
  from 
  the 
  opening 
  

   at 
  the 
  neck 
  to 
  the 
  extremity. 
  Head 
  broad 
  but 
  narrower 
  than 
  the 
  

   body, 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  papilla 
  near 
  the 
  upper 
  hinder 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  ocular 
  

   opening. 
  Arms 
  not 
  very 
  long 
  ; 
  three 
  upper 
  pairs 
  subequal 
  in 
  

   length, 
  ventral 
  pair 
  rather 
  longer. 
  Lower 
  surface 
  and 
  membrane 
  

   between 
  them 
  very 
  minutely 
  granulous. 
  Membrane 
  between 
  the 
  

   arms 
  extending 
  about 
  one 
  third 
  their 
  length 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   strip 
  up 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  between 
  the 
  dorsal 
  pair 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  wanting. 
  Cups 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  arms 
  gradually 
  decreasing 
  in 
  

   size 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  to 
  the 
  extremity, 
  on 
  the 
  three 
  other 
  pairs 
  

   of 
  arms 
  enlarging 
  gradually 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  sixth 
  pair 
  (these 
  being 
  

   nearly 
  twice 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  any 
  on 
  the 
  dorsal 
  pair), 
  and 
  then 
  gradually 
  

  

  * 
  Proc. 
  Linn. 
  Soc. 
  New 
  youth 
  Wales, 
  vols. 
  ii. 
  and 
  iii. 
  

  

  