MADEIRAN GROUP. 243 



Genus 13. ACHATINA, Lamarck. 



( Acicula, Kisso.) 

 Achatina aoicula. 



Buccinium acicula, Mutt., Verm. Hist. ii. 150 (1774) 

 Helix acicula, Lowe, Cambr. Phil. S. Trans, iv. 59 (1831) 

 Achatina acicula, Pfeiff., Mon. Eel. ii. 274 (1848) 



Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud. 201 (1854) 



Glandina acicula, Alb., Mai. Mad. 59. t. 15. f. 17, 18 



(1854) 

 Csecilianella nyctelia, Bourg., Rev. et Mag. Zool. 430 



(1856) 



Achatina acicula, Paiva, Mon. Moll. Mad. 114 (1867) 

 Cionella acicula, Mouse., Faun. Mai. des Can. 135 (1872) 

 Achatina acicula, Watson, Journ. de Conch. 223 (1876) 



Habitat Maderam, Portum Sanctum, Desertam Grandem, 

 et Desertam Australem ; sub lapidibus in herbidis humidius- 

 culis (saepius parum inferioribus), hinc inde congregans. 



The European and north- African A. acicula (which I met 

 with also towards the western coast of Palma in the Canarian 

 archipelago) is not uncommon in Madeira proper, where it 

 occurs beneath stones in rather moist and grassy places, parti- 

 cularly at a somewhat low elevation and in the vicinity of the 

 coast. I likewise found it very sparingly on the Deserta Grande, 

 and it appears to have been obtained from the Southern Deserta 

 by the Baron Paiva. In Porto Santo it was not taken either by 

 Mr. Lowe or myself ; but it is recorded from thence, as well as 

 from one of the adjacent islets, by Mr. Watson. 



The extremely narrow, acicular, but conical form of this 

 little Achatina, added to its fragile, subpellucid substance, its 

 pale, whitish, almost colourless, and glossy surface, its produced 

 spire, very oblique suture and elongate penultimate volution, 

 its short, arcuated, and basally truncate columella, its thin, 

 acute peristome, and the complete freedom of its aperture from 

 callosities and plaits, will suffice to distinguish it from every 

 other member of the group with which we are concerned. 



I have re-examined the Madeiran specimens of this Acha- 

 tina with the greatest care, and I cannot see that they differ in 

 any respect from the ordinary European ones, or from those 

 which were taken by myself in Palma of the Canarian archi- 

 pelago ; and I have no hesitation therefore in treating the 

 A. nyctelia, of Bouguignat, as absolutely identical with the 

 acicula. 



R 2 



