225 



NOTE ON THE TYPE OF GEOMELANIA, PFEIFFER, WITH THE 

 DESCEIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES. 



By E. R. SrKES, B.A. 



Read \Zth January, 1905. 



The genus Geomelania was founded by Pfeiffer (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1845, 

 p. 45) for G. Jamaicensis, which he then described from Cuming's 

 collection. In an endeavour some little while ago to identify some 

 species of this group, it was brought to my notice that there was 

 some confusion as to the actual form described by Pfeiffer, and the 

 object of these notes is to clear up this difficulty. 



Pfeiffer's description is brief : he gave no figure, but states that the 

 shell is 1 2 mm. long. 



Cuming had apparently two or more species, as they would now be 

 called, which he placed together and distributed as G. Jamaicensis to 

 various correspondents. After a careful examination I have, I think, 

 traced the actual types of the species (Fig. 2). labelled as from the locality 

 that Pfeiffer gave, and which agree well with the figures given by 

 Pfeiffer himself (Conch. Cab., Cyclostomacea, pi. xxx, figs. 19, 20). 



C. B. Adams received from Cuming a different shell of larger size, 

 and consequently the description of G. Jamaicensis given by him 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 



(Contiib. Conch., p. 18) must not be relied upon as referring to the 

 present species, and probably the shells he had, require a name : 

 I forbear to suggest one, however, as I am at present not sufficiently 

 acquainted with the group. 



In 1851 Petit (J. Concbyl., vol. ii, p. 82, pi. ii, fig. 4) gave a figure, 

 pui-porting to represent the species, " d'apres un individu qui nous 

 a ete donne par M. Cuming." This, again, was not the true 

 G. Jamaicensis, and was probably the same form as was sent to Adams. 



