﻿20 
  

  

  ON 
  THE 
  SHELLS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SOUTH 
  AFRICAN 
  SPECIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  SEPIIDiE. 
  

  

  By 
  Edgar 
  A. 
  Smith, 
  I.S.O. 
  

  

  Read 
  14th 
  January, 
  1916. 
  

  

  PLATE 
  II. 
  

  

  Some 
  time 
  ago 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  MoUusca 
  from 
  South 
  Africa 
  was 
  sent 
  

   me 
  for 
  deteriuiiiatioii 
  by 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  C. 
  Burnup, 
  of 
  Maritzburp:, 
  Natul. 
  

   It 
  contained 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  "bones" 
  or 
  shells^ 
  of 
  cuttlefishes, 
  tlie 
  

   identification 
  of 
  which 
  necessitated 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  

   forms." 
  Since 
  the 
  collection 
  contained 
  some 
  new 
  species 
  which 
  had 
  

   to 
  be 
  described, 
  it 
  seemed 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  useful 
  to 
  offer 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  some 
  notes 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  forms. 
  Although 
  I 
  am 
  

   unable 
  to 
  give 
  any 
  account 
  of 
  tlie 
  animals 
  of 
  tlie 
  new 
  species, 
  the 
  

   shells 
  appear 
  to 
  possess 
  certain 
  constant 
  reliable 
  characters 
  by 
  which 
  

   the 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  recognized. 
  

  

  Sepia, 
  vermiculata, 
  Qiioy 
  & 
  Gaimard. 
  

  

  ■Sepia 
  vertniculata, 
  Quoy 
  & 
  Gaimard, 
  Voy. 
  Astrolabe, 
  Zool., 
  vol. 
  ii, 
  

   18;^2, 
  p. 
  64, 
  pi. 
  i, 
  tigs. 
  1-5; 
  d'Orbigny 
  & 
  Ferussac, 
  Hist. 
  IS'at. 
  

   Cephal. 
  acetab., 
  1848, 
  p. 
  279, 
  pi. 
  iii 
  bis, 
  figs. 
  1-45, 
  copied 
  

   from 
  Q. 
  &G. 
  

   Rab.—CoiYie 
  of 
  Good 
  Hope 
  (Q. 
  & 
  G.). 
  

  

  M. 
  d'Orbigny 
  suggested 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  and 
  S. 
  hierredda 
  of 
  Rang 
  

   tire 
  synonymous, 
  and, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  shells 
  only, 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   think 
  he 
  was 
  correct. 
  Certain 
  differences 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  

   in 
  the 
  coloration 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  may 
  not, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  

   of 
  much 
  importance. 
  

  

  Sepia 
  hierredda, 
  E.ang. 
  

  

  Sepia 
  hierredda, 
  Rang, 
  Mag. 
  de 
  Zool., 
  Classe 
  V, 
  Mollusques, 
  1837, 
  

   p. 
  75, 
  pi. 
  c 
  ; 
  d'Orbigny 
  & 
  Ferussac, 
  Hist. 
  Nat. 
  Cephal. 
  acetab., 
  

   1848, 
  p. 
  268, 
  pis. 
  xiii, 
  xviii. 
  

  

  Hah. 
  — 
  Port 
  Elizabeth, 
  Cape 
  Colony, 
  Tongaat 
  Beach, 
  Natal, 
  Lagos, 
  

   Guinea 
  Coast, 
  Sierra 
  Leone 
  (all 
  Brit. 
  Mus.) 
  ; 
  Goree, 
  Cape 
  of 
  Good 
  

   Hope 
  (d'Orb. 
  & 
  Fer.) 
  ; 
  Goree 
  (Rang). 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  shell 
  of 
  this 
  so-called 
  species 
  from 
  Lagos, 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum 
  by 
  Sir 
  Alfred 
  Moloney, 
  is 
  about 
  230 
  mm. 
  in 
  length. 
  

  

  This 
  form 
  is 
  narrow, 
  elongate, 
  rather 
  pointed 
  at 
  the 
  anterior 
  

   end, 
  considerably 
  thick 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  side. 
  The 
  

   chitinous 
  margin 
  spreads 
  over 
  tlie 
  dorsal 
  surface 
  at 
  the 
  hinder 
  end. 
  

   The 
  hack 
  is 
  pale 
  down 
  the 
  middle, 
  becoming 
  very 
  pale 
  reddish 
  at 
  

   the 
  sides. 
  There 
  is 
  scarcely 
  any 
  noticeable 
  central 
  ridge 
  and 
  the 
  

   surface 
  is 
  finely 
  granulated, 
  the 
  granules 
  sometimes 
  ranged 
  in 
  series 
  

   following 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  growth 
  down 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  back. 
  

  

  ^ 
  Sepiostaire, 
  sepium, 
  or 
  sepion. 
  

  

  ^ 
  Here 
  Umited 
  to 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Natal 
  and 
  Cape 
  Colony. 
  

  

  