PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 247 
Teredo are present in our waters, and it will be shown that we 
have not one but several species to contend with. 
The shipworms known from Australasia are distinguished 
generically from the 7’eredo proper by having the siphons con- 
joined for the greater part of their length, and by the siphons > 
arising from within a cup-like process of the mantle. Gould, 
the American conchologist, who was the first to name this 
genus, proposed, in 1862, to call it Calobates. Wright, in 1864, 
described a second species under the generic name of Vausitoria. 
Later Tapparone-Canefri pointed out that Gould’s name was in- 
admissible, as it had been previously twice used for birds; for it 
he proposed to substitute Bactronophorus (t). Since, however, 
Wright’s name is the earliest available, we are obliged by the 
rules of nomenclature to call the Australasian genus Vawsitoria. 
The rudimentary bivalve shells of all the species of shipworms 
are much alike, and scarcely to be distinguished even by a special- 
ist. The pallets, on the contrary, exhibit excellent features 
for discrimination. The following sketches of them (Pl. X., 
Figs. 4-9) are intended to enable any observer to identify most 
of the Australasian species at a glance. 
Taking them in the order in which they were described, the 
list of Australasian shipworms are as follows :— 
Uperoris cLavA, Gmelin, 1790. 
Synonyms.—7eredo nucivora, Spengler, and Fistulana gregata, 
Lamarck. 
Reference.—Griffiths’ Cuvier. Animal Kingdom, XII., 1834, 
p. 124, Pl. VIII, Figs. 3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d. 
Occurs at Mauritius, Tranquebar, and Pondicherry. Recently 
reported by Melvill and Standen (Journ. Linn. Soc. Zool., 
XXVIT., 1899, p. 199) from Mer Island, Torres Straits. 
NAUSITORIA THORACITES, Gould, 1856. 
Synonym.—Calobates australis, Wright. 
Distinguished by pallets shaped like a stilt, or a sheathed 
Malay kreese. 
This species was originally described by Gould (Proc. Boston 
moc. Nat. Hist., VII, 1856, p. 15) from Tavoy, Burmah. 
Wright afterwards described C. australis, from Fremantle, Wes- 
tern Australia (Trans. Linn. Soc., XXV., 1865, p. 564, Pl. LXIV., 
Figs. 1-5), which he thought might “prove to be only an Aus- 
tralian form of C’. thoracites, Gould.” It had best be considered 
as such. Wright also recorded C. thoracites from Singapore. 
Schmeltz has mentioned J. thoracites from Bowen, Queensland 
(Cat. V., Godefiroy Museum, 1874, p. 178). Tapparone-Canefri 
has recognised the species from Sorong, Dutch New Guinea 
(¢) Tapparone-Canefri. Ann. Mus. Ciy., Genoa, ix., 1877, p. 290. 
