137 



XOTE ON THE VARIATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BULIMUS 

 OBLONGUS, Mull. 



By Edgae a. Smith, F.Z.S., etc. 



Read March 9fh, 1894. 



An interesting series of this well-known snail has recently been kindly 

 shown me by Sir Kawson llawson, and, since it comprises a new and 

 well-marked variety, I thought it might be useful to tabulate the 

 known forms. 



1. Typical. Eeeve, Conch. Icon. fig. 210. 



a. Large. North Brazil, Guiana, Venezuela, U.S. Columbia, 



Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Kitts, 

 and St. Thomas. 



b. Smaller. Bolivia (D'Orbigny). 



2. n. var. alholahiata. Of the same size as the typical form («), but 



white beneath the epidermis ; lip also white. 

 Hah. — Tobago (Sir R. Rawson). 



3. n. var. alha. As large as the type («), but pure white ; lip 



rose-pink. 

 Hal. — Bolivia (D'Orbigny and Brit, Mus.). 



4. var. crassa (Albers) { = B. hccmastoma, Scopoli). Smaller than 



type, whitish, narrower, becoming very solid with age, 

 lip rosy. 

 ITah. — Paraguay and Matto Grosso (Brit. Mus.) ; Ytati, Argentine 

 Republic, and Bolivia (D'Orbigny). 



5. var. capillacea (Pfr.). Much smaller than type («), spire less 



conical, more obtuse at the apex. 



Hal. — River Solimoes, West Brazil (Pfr.) ; Puerto (Martens) ; 

 Corrientes, Argentine Republic (D'Orbigny) ; Yurimaguas, Peru 

 (Brit. Mus.). 



The extreme varieties are so different that without intermediate 

 links we should not hesitate to consider them distinct. I am inclined, 

 however, to follow von Martens ^ in placing B. capiUaceus of Pfeiffer 

 among the forms of this species. 



The example figured by Scopoli,^ regarded (erroneously) by some as 

 the type of the genus Buh'mus,^ belongs apparently to the vaiiety 

 crassa.^ The figure is considerably out of drawing, the spire being too 

 much produced, but the body -whorl is narrow (41 mm.) and oblong 

 as in this variety. The most interesting specimens belong to the 

 var. allolabiata. According to Sir R. Rawson they live under the 

 same conditions as the normal coloured form. The cause of this 

 absence of colour is therefore, at present, a matter of mere conjecture. 



^ In Pfeiffer's Novitates, vol. v. p. 19. 



2 Delic. flor. et faun. Insubr. p. 67, pi. xxv. figs. 1,2. 



3 Vide Smith, P.Z.S., 1893, pp. 635, 636. 



* B. seneri, jousseaunie, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1884, vol. ix. p. 169, pi. iv. 

 fig. 3, is closely allied to this variety. 



