CBEASTUS. 263 



233. Cerastus abyssinicus, Pfeiffer. 



Buliminus habessinicus (Riippell), Beck, Index Moll. 1838, p. 68 



(nom. nud.). 

 Bulimus abyssinicus (Riipp.), Pfeiffer, Zeit. Malak. ii, 1845, p. 157 ; 



ibid., Mon. Helic. Viv. ii, 1848, p. 110 ; Reeve, Conch. Icon, v, 



1848, Bulimus, pi. 46, fig. 296 ; Pfeiffer, Conch.-Cab., Bulimus, 



1854, p. 149, pi. 39, figs. 6, 7 ; Pfeiffer, Mon. Helic. Viv. vi, 1868, 



p. 55 ; Morelet, Voy. Welwitsch, Moll. 1868, p. 40 ; ibid., Ann. 



Mus. Civ. Geneva, iii, 1872, p. 197 ; Hanley & Theobald, Conch. 



Ind. 1870, pi. 21, fig. 1 ; Bourguignat, Ann. Sci. Nat. Zool. ser. 6, 



xv, 1883, art. 2, p. 55, pi. 9, fig. 59 ; ibid., Moll. Afr. Equat. 



1889, p. 50. 

 Bulimus (Petraeus) abyssinicus, Albers, Die Heliceen, 1850, p. 184 ; 



Pfeiffer, Malak. Blatt. ii, 1856, p. 154. 

 Bulimulus (Petrceus) abyssinicus, Adams, Gen. Rec. Moll, ii, 1855, 



p. 162. 

 Buliminus abyssinicus, var. ventrosa, Martens, Malak. Blatt. xvi, 



1869, p. 210. 

 Buliminus (Petraeus) abyssinicus, Jickeli, Nova Acta K. Leop.-Carol. 



Akad. Naturf. xxxvii, no. 1, 1874, p. 103, pi. 2, fig. 9 (jaw and 



radula), pi. 5, fig. 2 (shell). 

 Buliminus (Cerastus} abyssinicus, Kobelt, Illustr. Conchyl. Buch, 



ii, 1878, p. 273, pi. 84, fig. 6 ; Pollonera, Boll. Mus. Zool. Torino, 



xiii, 1898, no. 313, p. 6. 

 Bulimina (Cerastus) abyssinica, Pfeiffer & Clessin, Nomencl. Helic. 



Viv. 1881, p. 286. 

 Buliminus ( Cerastus) abessynicus, Kobelt, Conch.-Cab^, Fam. Buli- 



minidae, 1899, p. 532, pi. 84, figs. 9-12. 

 Cerastus abessinicus, Kobelt & Mollendorft, Nachr. Deuts. Malak. 



Ges. 1903, p. 40. 

 Buliminus abyssinicus, var., Peile, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. xi, 



1908, p. 131. 



Original description: "Testa rimato-perforata, ovato-acuminata, 

 termi, regulariter et confertirn arcuato costata, diaphana, corneo- 

 albida; spira elongata, conica; anfr. 7, convexis, ultimo longi- 

 tudinis subsequante ; columella subrecta, intus subtorta; apertura 

 oblongo-ovali ; perist. acuto, margine dextro arcuato, breviter ex- 

 panso, columellari dilatato, patente. 



"Long. 21, diam. 11 mill" (Pfeiffer.} 



Hob. India: Malwa (Theobald)', Manda, Nerbudda Valley 

 (Blanford) ; Poona (Beddome) ; Bombay Island (Peile). Abyssinia 

 (Blanford, Jickeli, Bourguignat). 



The occurrence of this species in such widely separated countries 

 is somewhat startling, but may be accounted for by the intro- 

 duction into India with plants. In a letter to Pfeiffer (recorded 

 in Mon. Helic. Viv. vi, p. 55) Benson suggested that it had been 

 imported with Adansonia digitata. 



The shell appears to vary to a certain extent, and some of the 

 specimens figured by Jickeli seem to be immature. This same 

 author suggested that Bulimus harrisi, Reeve, is identical, but 

 Reeve's figure does not bear out this contention. 



G. abyssinicus is closely related to G. distans but the shell is 



