332 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAI. SOCIETY. 



Mediterranean shells reject '■ grcBca'' altogether. The British shell 

 was first named '■'■ P{atellci) larva, reticulata'''' by Costa in the Brit. 

 Conch., 1778, p. 14, pi. i, fig. 3. This is one of the very few 

 trinomials present in Costa's work, and lias been dismissed as indeter- 

 minable. If he meant to use 'P. reticulata^ as Avould appear from 

 his Index, then his name is antedated hy Linne's usage in the Syst. 

 Nat., 10th ed., 1758, p. 784. The same remark a\)])\\es to Patella 

 reticulata, used by Donovan, Nat. Hist. Brit. Shells, vol. i, pi. xxi, 

 fig. 3, circa 1800, which has been often utilized. 



We then arrive at Patella apertura, Montagu (Test. Brit., vol. ii, 

 p. 491, pi. xiii, fig. 10, 1803: Falmouth), which, founded on an 

 immature shell, must come into use.' The Laws are very clear 

 regarding this, and nobody requests any revision. 



RissoELLA, Gray. 

 In the Proc. Zool. Soc, p. 159, November, 1847, Gray wrote, 

 '■'■ Rissoella. Kissoa, sp. Brown. Pissoa? glaher, Alder." Forbes 

 and Hanley (Hist. Brit. Moll., vol. iii, p. 151, June, 1850) introduced 

 a genus Jeffre^jsia as of Alder MS. for the above species and another 

 one. The description is based upon the first-named, Avhich must be 

 tlierefore regarded as the type, and Jejf'retjsia, being coequal with 

 and later than Riasoella, must pass into synonymy. The usage of 

 the former has been continued, as it was urged that no description of 

 Pissoella was off'ered previous to Forbes & Hanley's correct proposal 

 oi Jeffrey ai a. This argument, of course, does not liold good at all, 

 but its basis is shattered by the fact that Gray in the Fig. Moll. 

 Anim., vol. ii, p. 86, had provided a correct diagnosis, and this had 

 appeared in February-March, 1850, that is, three months prior to 

 Forbes & Hanley's introduction. 



AcMEA, Hartmann. 

 In the Neue Alpina, Bd. i. pp. 204-12, 1821, Hartmann proposed 

 a genus Acmea, with full diagnosis, species described, and figures 

 given. Such a proposal cannot be ignored, yet such seems to have 

 been the fate of this name. I select as type of the genus the species 

 Actnea truncata, and thereby fix the name for active use. This will 

 mean that Acmea will replace Iruncatella, Risso, 1826. The murmur 

 against the dismissal of Truncatella may be lessened when it is 

 explained that three pages prior to his ])roposal of his name llisso 

 had introduced the genus Fidelis, and under all the laws this name 

 Avould also succeed against Truncatella. I would accept subcylindrica, 

 Linne {Helix s., Syst. Nat., 12th ed., 1766, p. 1248) for the species 

 name, as used by French malacologists, and, as explained by Hanley, 

 this name is confirmed by the shell in the Linnean cabinet : truncata, 

 Montagu, is also twice invalid, beino: preceded by suhtrmicata (Test. 

 Brit., vol. i, p. 300, 1803). 



^ I see Dall (loc. cit.) writes " apertiirn, Montagu (not Born) ", but this appears 

 to be a slip, following Gray, 1847, who quotes Patella apcrtura. Born. 

 I cannot find such a name in Bom's works, nor does Sherborn record it in 

 the Index Anivialium. 



