﻿142 
  

  

  ON 
  OPE 
  AS 
  STRIGILE 
  (M. 
  & 
  P.) 
  AND 
  ITS 
  ALLIES. 
  

  

  By 
  M. 
  CoNNOLi.r. 
  

  

  Bead 
  11th 
  April, 
  1919. 
  

  

  The 
  receipt 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Biirnup 
  of 
  several 
  small 
  forms 
  of 
  Opeas 
  from 
  

   Natal 
  rendered 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  make 
  search 
  in 
  tlie 
  Natural 
  Hi&toiy 
  

   Museum 
  for 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  0. 
  strigile 
  (M. 
  & 
  P.) 
  which 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  deposited 
  there 
  recently 
  with 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  tlie 
  late 
  

   Mr. 
  Ponsonby-Fane's 
  South 
  African 
  type-specimens. 
  

  

  There 
  exists, 
  however, 
  written 
  evidence 
  which 
  proves 
  that 
  the 
  

   shell 
  iu 
  question 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  broken 
  condition 
  many 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  description, 
  and 
  whatever 
  remained 
  of 
  it 
  

   seems 
  to 
  liave 
  disappeared 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  transfer, 
  for 
  the 
  box 
  

   labelled 
  "Type" 
  now 
  contains 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  scrap 
  of 
  paper, 
  mounted 
  

   on 
  blue 
  wool 
  and 
  bearing 
  the 
  words 
  " 
  accidentally 
  lost". 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  this 
  box 
  is 
  another, 
  labelled 
  ^'- 
  drigilis, 
  M. 
  & 
  P., 
  S. 
  Africa, 
  

   J. 
  H. 
  Ponsonby", 
  witli 
  a 
  label 
  beneath, 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  owner's 
  hand- 
  

   writing, 
  " 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  E. 
  sfrigilis, 
  M. 
  & 
  P." 
  This 
  contains 
  two 
  sliells 
  

   from 
  Dargle, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  devoid 
  of 
  strigilation 
  it 
  became 
  

   advisable 
  to 
  compare 
  them 
  witli 
  an 
  authentic 
  example 
  of 
  Melvill 
  and 
  

   Ponsonby's 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  original 
  lot 
  were 
  collected 
  at 
  Karkloof 
  by 
  J. 
  McBean 
  and 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  four 
  specimens, 
  one 
  being 
  retained 
  by 
  the 
  authors 
  as 
  

   type, 
  two 
  by 
  the 
  finder, 
  and 
  the 
  fourth 
  presented 
  to 
  H. 
  C. 
  Burnup 
  

   and 
  placed 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  Natal 
  Museum. 
  Thanks 
  to 
  his 
  

   kindness 
  and 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  authorities, 
  this 
  co-type 
  

   has 
  now 
  been 
  forwarded 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  comparison. 
  It 
  

   is 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  Dargle 
  specimens, 
  being 
  slightly 
  more 
  highly 
  

   sculptured 
  and 
  less 
  attenuate. 
  Althougli 
  rather 
  differing 
  from 
  the 
  

   authors' 
  original 
  figure 
  it 
  agrees 
  well 
  with 
  their 
  description 
  and 
  is 
  

   quite 
  proportionate 
  to 
  their 
  measurements, 
  and 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   no 
  reason 
  against 
  its 
  acceptance 
  as 
  typical 
  of 
  0. 
  strigile 
  (M. 
  & 
  P.). 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  therefore 
  describing 
  as 
  new 
  the 
  Dargle 
  species, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   another 
  small 
  race 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  company 
  with, 
  and 
  

   sometimes 
  mistaken 
  for, 
  drigile, 
  though 
  quite 
  distinct 
  therefrom. 
  

   I 
  also 
  give 
  a 
  fresh 
  description 
  and 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  last-named, 
  and 
  of 
  

   yet 
  another 
  new 
  species, 
  of 
  rather 
  a 
  different 
  character, 
  which 
  has 
  

   recently 
  been 
  collected 
  by 
  Dr. 
  F. 
  G. 
  Cawston 
  at 
  Verulam, 
  Natal. 
  

  

  Opeas 
  strigile 
  (M. 
  & 
  P.). 
  Fig. 
  1. 
  

  

  Sliell 
  small, 
  narrowly 
  rimate, 
  elongate-turriform, 
  thin, 
  glossy, 
  

   transparent, 
  pale 
  olivaceous. 
  Spire 
  produced, 
  sides 
  almost 
  

   imperceptibly 
  convex, 
  apex 
  rounded. 
  Whorls 
  6, 
  moderately 
  convex, 
  

   regularly 
  and 
  gradually 
  increasing, 
  the 
  apical 
  whorl 
  smootli, 
  

   remainder 
  covered 
  with 
  fairly 
  close, 
  curved, 
  transverse 
  striae 
  of 
  

   rather 
  irregular 
  depth, 
  hardly 
  visible 
  to 
  the 
  naked 
  eye. 
  Suture 
  

   sub-filiform, 
  well 
  defined. 
  Aperture 
  ovate, 
  peristome 
  thin, 
  simple, 
  

   outer 
  lip 
  broken 
  in 
  co-type, 
  but 
  normally 
  curved 
  forward 
  and 
  

  

  