The Invertebrate Fauna of the Uitenhage Series. 189 



Holcostephanus multiplicatus Neum. and Uhlig (non Eoemer) * 

 from the Upper Valanginian of North Germany, which has been 

 renamed Astieria ventricosa by von Koenen, f approaches H. ather- 

 stoni in the fine character of the ribbing, but is well separated by the 

 much higher whorl-section and the conspicuous development of con- 

 strictions, as well as by other characters. 



Certain forms occurring in the south-east of France and in the 

 Maritime Alps, ascribed by Kilian to H. atherstom,l seem to have 

 been so named in the belief that H. multiplicatus Neum. and Uhlig 

 (= Astieria ventricosa von Koenen) is identical with H. atherstoni. 

 Baumberger has also spoken of the " Zone of Holcostephanus multi- 

 plicatus Neum. and Uhlig, non Eomer = H. atherstoni Sharpe " in 

 the Lower Hauterivian of the Swiss Jura. Early in the present 

 year, however, he has taken pains to show that the earlier identifi- 

 cation of H. multiplicatus with H. atherstoni was erroneous. || 



When we come to discuss the correctness of Baumberger f s view 

 that a group of forms represented richly at the base of the Haute- 

 rivian (the so-called Astieria Zone) in the Swiss Jura is really 

 inseparable from Holcostephanus atherstoni, the difficulty of forming 

 a final judgment becomes very great. Baumberger discusses the 

 question in great detail, If and his conclusion is put forward judicially 

 and not with any claim to be the final word in the matter. Some, 

 at least, of the specimens figured by Baumberger bear a strikingly 

 close resemblance to H. atherstoni, and it appears safe to conclude 

 that the relationship is a very close one. It appears possible that 

 more than a single species is represented in the Swiss material 

 brought together by Baumberger under Sharpe's specific name, but 

 I am not in the position to form a definite judgment on this point. 

 Of the larger specimens figured by Baumberger, which from their 

 size are most fitly comparable with the large type-specimen from 

 South Africa, that depicted in plate xxiv., fig. 2, seems to agree 

 most closely in the fineness of the ribbing. The specimen 

 shown in plate xxiii., fig. la, exhibits more clearly the 

 characters of the umbilical part of the shell, and allowing that 

 this is an internal cast, the figure might well have been drawn 

 from a South African specimen. The apertural view (fig. Ib), how- 

 ever, unless the peripheral part is much crushed down, shows that 



* Neumayr and Uhlig (1), p. 150, Taf. xxxiii., fig. 2. 

 f von Koenen (2), p. 144. 



* Kilian (1), pp. 716, 726, 735 ; Kilian (4), p. 865 ; Kilian and Leenhardt (1), 

 pp. 973, 979, 981 ; Matte (1), p. 151. 



Baumberger (1), 2 er Theil, p. 3. || Baumberger (1), 4 er Theil, p. 40. 



II" Baumberger (1), 4 er Theil, pp. 39-47 (Astieria atherstoni). 



