THE ANCULOSAE OF THE ALABAMA RIVER DRAINAGE 



By .Calvin Goodrich 



This study deals with a collection of Anculosae made by ]\Ir. Herbert 

 H. Smith within the drainage of the Alabama River between the years 

 1901 and 1918 for the Alabama Geological Survey. The new species, with 

 one exception, were named by him. The classification follows that which 

 he had in mind. After a year's examination of the collection, the writer feels 

 toward Mr. Smith only the greatest respect for his industry in the field and 

 the keenness of his observations. It was Mr. Smith's intention to prepare 

 this paper himself. Death directed otherwise. His life spared, errors which 

 possibly have crept into this paper would most certainly have been avoided. 



The Anculosae vary exceedingly. They give the student the impress- 

 ion of an adaptive family that is constantly struggling with an altering en- 

 vironment. They are recommended to the scientist particularly as objects 

 for tracing the geographical distribution of life in middle North Am- 

 erica. I believe them to be no less valuable in this regard than the mammals, 

 the crayfishes and the Naiades. 



For help with this paper, the writer is indebted to Mrs. Daisy Smith, 

 of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, who supplied a great deal of 

 information about her husband's work and performed most of the thank- 

 less labor connected with handling the collection; to Miss Mina Winslow 

 for the illustrations of the shells ; to Dr. Bryant Walker for unwearying 

 counsel. 



Ti-iE Group and its Environment 



The Anculosae of the Alabama River system represent a distinct sec- 

 tion of the genus. No species of Anculosa within the drainage occurs also 

 outside of it. No species which is spoken of as an Atlantic, Ohio, a Cum- 

 berland or Tennessee form occurs within it. 



The existence of this faunal cleavage was not suspected or was not be- 

 lieved in by Lea, Tryon and some of the other naturalists of their times. 

 Lewis was convinced of it and laid emphasis on the fact as he glimpsed it. 

 So far as can be learned from the literature his remarks passed unnoticed. 

 It has remained, after many years, for Mr. Smith to demonstrate through 

 his collections and studies that the dispersal of the Anculosae, however 

 general it has been within the area of their habitat, has kept separate com- 

 pletely two main lines of development. This is the more remarkable be- 

 cause there has been an interchange of stream flow through piracy between 

 the Tennessee tributaries and the Conasauga, and opportunities for the 

 transfer of species, other than by means of stream capture, must have oc- 

 . cured repeatedly farther to the west. A glance at the map will show that 

 Wills Creek and Little River of the Coosa today very nearly touch Look- 

 out Creek of the Tennessee. The latter is known to be inhabited by a typi- 



