194 AMERICAN JOURNAL 



POLYNESIAN CHITONID^3. 



BY THE LATE W. HARPER PEAPE 



The absence of Chitonidae from Polynesia has been noticed by 

 authors as a remarkable fact, abounding, as they do, in the sur- 

 rounding provinces, especially on the west coast of America, at 

 Australia and New Zealand. 



The only species known as inhabiting Polynesia, so far as I 

 can discover, are the following : 



" Lophyrus petaloides," Gld. Hawaiian Islands, collected 

 by tbe Am. Expl. Exped. 



"Lophyrus perviridis and Acanthopleura nigropunc- 

 tata," Cpr. Tahiti, both described in Proc. Zool. Soc, Lon- 

 don, 1865. From my collection. 



" Lepidopleurus ? Luzonicus, Sow. Tahiti, determined by 

 Dr. Carpenter, from specimens in my Coll. I mark it doubtful, 

 as it is, to say the least, a variety. 



All of the above are quite small, the longest not over 6 mill, 

 in length. I was therefore surprised on discovering the two 

 species described below at a locality which has been searched 

 over by numerous collectors, including myself. 



One attains to the size of 40 mill., and probably larger. 



The descriptions are merely provisional, as I have no perfect 

 mature specimen of either species. Those of the largest are 

 very much abraded or coated with lime, the description being 

 taken from an immature specimen. 



(?) Acanthochites viridis, Pse. 



T. oblongo-ovata, vix elevata, viridis, medio pallida aut albida ; 

 valvis semilunaris, aries lateralibus minute granulosis, centralibus 

 non liratus aut elevatis, antice tenui striatis ; ligamento coria- 

 ceo, spiculis brevibus dense induto, et spicularum vitreorum cris- 

 tis densisimis perviridibus munito. Long. 40, diam. 14. mill. 

 Hab., Insl. Kauai. 



