OF CONCHOLOGY. 163 



ON THE LINGUAL DENTITION OF VERONICELLA. 



BY THOMAS BLAND AND W. G. BINNEY. 



Having received from Mr. J. G. Anthony specimens in alco- 

 hol of two species of Veronicella collected by him near Rio 

 Janeiro, we have compared their lingual dentition with that of 

 Veronicella Floridana, and also a species from Jamaica. The 

 lingual membranes of all four species are almost exactly alike, 

 so much so that the description of one will apply to all. There 

 is some slight variation in the development of the point on the 

 central teeth, but this does not affect the general character of 

 the teeth. 



The lingual membrane is long and very broad, comprising (in 

 the Florida species) about 60 — 1 — 60 teeth. The centrals are 

 quite small, long and narrow, attenuated to a point above, grad- 

 ually enlarging toward the base, above which are lateral, bluntly 

 pointed, wing-like expansions ; the base is broad, and has a deep, 

 rounded excavation ; in some cases the lateral expansions are so 

 produced as to give an almost cruciform appearance to the tooth ; 

 below the centre of the tooth, on its anterior surface, is a stout, 

 blunt, short, simple cusp, ending in a short, stout point. 



The lateral teeth are very irregular in shape, but retain the 

 bicusped character peculiar to the Gfeophila ; they are longer 

 and much wider than the centrals ; the bases of attachment, or 

 plates, are very irregular in shape, very unsymmetrical, sub- 

 quadrate or irregularly excavated above, thence curve outwards 

 and downwards, until at their lower extremity they exhibit the 

 lateral expansions and basal excavation of the central tooth, but 

 both these characters are much more developed than in the cen- 

 trals, and from the want of symmetry in the teeth, are found 

 only on the outer side of each tooth ; the central cusp on the 

 marginals is Very large, extends quite to the base of the tooth, 

 and is produced beyond that into a blunt point ; the side cusps 

 are almost obsolete, the inner one is much larger than the outer 

 one. 



