218 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



OX A NEW HELICOID LAND-SHELL FROM NEW ZEALAND. 

 By E. E. Stkes, B.A., F.Z.S., etc. 



Read November 9/h, 1894. 



I HAVE recently received from Mr. H. B. Preston, a member of tbis 

 Society, some interesting land-shells collected by him in tbe North 

 Island, New Zealand, amongst which is the species I now describe. 



Endodonta (CnAEOPA) Prestoni, n.sp. 



Testa minnta, depressa, profunde umbilicata, subtiliter costulata, 

 albida aut albido-cornea. Anfr. 4, lente accrescentes, costulae circa 

 23-25 in. 1 millim., interstioe sub lente striata?, sutura impressa ; 

 umbilicus latus, profundus, ad apicem attingens ; apertura semi- 

 circularis, rotundata, peristoma tenue. Diam. 2, alt. 1 mm. 



Hab. — Otaki Gorge, about 47 miles north of Wellington, New 

 Zealand. 



It has been suggested to me by Mr. Suter, and I entirely agree 

 with him, that the position of this species is between £. hiafica, 

 Hutton,* and JS. corniculum, Reeve.^ Both these species were also 

 found in Otaki Gorge by Mr. Preston. It may be at once distinguished 

 from U. bianca, by the fact that in this latter species the apical 

 sculpture is similar to that of the rest of the shell, while in ^. 

 Prestoni the first whorl and a half are spirally striated. From 

 E. corntctdion, which also has spiral apical striae, it may be dis- 

 tinguished by these strioe being only half as numerous and much 

 fainter : the ribs in the present species are also finer and nearer 

 together. Looking into the umbilicus, which is not quite so wide as 

 that of £. cornictdum, we see spiral strije, which continue up to the 

 mouth, and appear to correspond to the apical striae seen from above. 

 Tiie interstitial strioe are also weaker in J^. Prestoni, though the 

 sculpture is of the same nature. The present shell is paler in colour 

 than the two other species mentioned ; it is also smaller in size. It 

 has the same number of whorls as £. bianca, but fewer than E. corni- 

 culum. It may be of interest to add to Mr. Murdoch's localities^ that 

 Mr. Preston has also sent me Schizoglossa Novoseelandica from "Under 

 logs, Ohingaiti, North Island." 



* Tryon's Man. Conch, ser. 2, vol. ix. p. 97, pi. xxxvii. figs. 41, 42. 

 2 Op. cit. vol. iii. p. 24, pi. iii. fig. 2; and vol. ix. p. 96. 

 ^ Ante, p. 138. 



