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A LIST OF THE KNOWN FORMS OF VOLITTIDJ3 FROM SOUTH 

 AFRICA, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF 

 VOLUTA FROM NATAL. 



By Edgar A. Smith, F.Z.S., etc. 



Read 10th May, 1901. 



The British Museum has recently acquired two very fine Volutes from 

 Natal, one of which appears to belong to a new species, the other 

 being a specimen, in fresh condition, of the rare V. Africana, of 

 which only a few worn examples have hitherto been known, while 

 a second new species has been kindly submitted to me for description 

 by Mr. J. H. Ponsonby. Thinking that in connection with these 

 new discoveries a list of the known Volutidse from South Africa 

 would be of interest, it has seemed advisable to give the following- 

 synopsis, incorporating therein the descriptions of the new species : — 



1. A r oLiJTA (Alcithoe) festiva, Lamarck, 



Yoluta /estiva, Lamarck: Anim. s. Vert., vol. vii, p. 347; 2nd ed., 



vol. x, p. 404. Kiener: Icon. Coq. Viv., p. 31, pi. xxii, 



fig. 2 (type, half-grown). K lister : Conch. -Cab., 2nd ed., 



p. 184, pi. xxxviii, fig. 4 (copy of Kiener). Sowerby : 



Thes. Conch., vol. i, p. 218, pi. Hi, figs. 79-80, original, 



from Lamarck's type. Reeve : Conch. Icon., vol. vi, 



pi. xii, figs. 28a-c (28a adult, b and c young). Chenu : 



Man. Conch., fig. 960, after Reeve. Tryon : Man. Conch., 



vol. iv, p. 95, pi. xxx, fig. 125, after Reeve. 



Hah. — South-east Africa, Natal coast (Sowerby). 



Little need be added to the description of this species given by 



Reeve. The figure 28a conveys an excellent idea of a full-grown 



example, both as regards form and colour. It might be observed, 



however, that in two specimens in the Museum the ribs upon the 



upper whorls are not " obsolete next the sutures," and it is only upon 



the last and penultimate whorls that they become less conspicuous, 



or wanting at that part. 



2. Volttta (Alcithoe) Ponsonbti, n.sp. 



Testa ovato -fusiform is, turrita, mediocriter solida, flavo-carnea, 

 seriebus macularum sanguinearum quatuor transversis picta, zonis 

 circiter decern angustis albidis transversim fusco lineatis ornata ; 

 anfractus septem, tres superiores (protoconcha), laeves, carnei, 

 convexi, apicem spiraa obtusum formantes, cseteri supra concavi, in 

 medio angulati, infra costati, costis ad angulum acute coronatis, in 

 anfractu ultimo inferne haud productis, transversim tenuiter sulcati 

 et striati lineisque incrementi tenuissimis sculpti, ultimus antice 

 ascendens, pone labrum longitudinaliter sulcatus et subcostulatus, 

 versus basim fortiter oblique sulcatus ; apertura carnea, albo suffusa, 



vol. iv. — orrroBEH, 1901. 17 



