1332 SI'ATIIA 



Spatha APPRoxiMANS Preston. 



"Shell closely allied to S. nyassciisis Lea, (Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 London, 1877, p. 719), but broader posteriorly, more acum- 

 inate, and covered with a periostracum much paler in color; 

 the interior of the shell is exceedingly finely granulate. 



Long. 64, lat. 100 mm." ( Preston j. 



Type locality, Shire River, at a point from 3 to 4 kilometres 

 to the south of Lake Nyassa. 

 Spatha approximans Preston, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8), VL 



p. 63, pi. V, fig. 14. 



Spatha marnoi Jickeli. 



Shell long obovate, convex, subsolid, inequilateral ; beaks 

 slightly elevated ; dorsal outline arched from the anterior end 

 to the posterior point, a little fuller behind the ligament ; an- 

 terior end narrowed and rounded ; base straight or lightly in- 

 curved medially, full behind the middle ; posterior end round- 

 ed, somewhat developed just below the median line; surface 

 evenly, concentrically sculptured ; epidermis shining, yellow- 

 ish-fuscous, with three curved, green rays on the dorsal slope; 

 hinge lightly calloused ; nacre pale rose, pearly. 



Length 85, height 40.75, diam. 23.5 mm. 



Marno, Abyssinia. 

 Spatha marnoi Ticket.:, L. and S. Moll. N. Ost.-Af., 1874, p. 



264, pi. vin. fig. 3. — Simpson, Syn., igoo, p. 899. 

 Spatha marmoi Germain, Arch. Zool. Exp. and Gen., (5), J, 



1909. p. 55. 



Approaches .S". nyassaensis, but is larger, more elongated, 



more sharply sculptured, and has three green, rather broad 



rays on the posterior slope, which do not appear in either of 

 Lea's shells. 



Spatha eourtaui (Pallary). 



"In its external appearance this Xaiad so closely resembles 

 Spatha marnoi figured in Jickeli, pi. viir, fig. 3. that at first 

 we considered it to be a form minor, the more so as the hinge 

 of that species has not been figured. P)Ut the description (p. 

 264) leaves no doubt in regard to the distinctness of the two 



