ENDODONTA. 21 



Shell small, varying from discoidal to trochiform, generally 

 umbilicated ; the surface striate or ribbed. Aperture varying from 

 multidentate to toothless; peristome simple. Type, E. lamellosa 

 Fer. 



Animal having distinct grooves above the margins of the foot, 

 but no caudal mucous gland. Eye peduncles club-shaped. Genital 

 system simple, lacking all accessory appendages. Jaw delicate, 

 vertically sparsely striated. Radula having the basal-plates of 

 central and lateral teeth large and square ; central teeth tricuspid ; 

 lateral teeth tricuspid or lacking the endocones; marginal teeth 

 having a low, wide basal-plate, bearing 3 or 4 cusps, the endocone 

 and mesocone generally united at base, ectocone simple or bifid. 



Distribution, Australasia and Polynesia. 



This genus differs from Flammulina (and its subgenera) in lacking 

 caudal mucous pore, and in the striated rather than plaited jaw ; 

 from Pyramidula in the clavate eye-peduncles. 



No one, I believe, who examines large series of the species from 

 various regions, will claim that the groups included as sections under 

 Endodonta, can be admitted as genera. They have no anatomical 

 differential characters whatever, as far as is now known, and the 

 shell features integrade by easy stages throughout. 



The distinction between Charopa and Endodonta is of little value, 

 on account of the degeneration of the teeth in some forms of the 

 latter, producing species which technically fall under the former 

 group. In this genus, therefore, as in many others (such as Gas- 

 trodonta, Polygyra, Lucerna, Sagda, etc.), the presence or absence of 

 teeth or lamellae within the aperture is of scarcely more than specific 

 value, or at most, serves to define groups of no more than sectional 

 rank. 



The principal authorities upon the shells now assembled here are 

 Pease, Garrett, Cox, Brazier, Hutton, Semper, Suter and Hedley. 

 Mousson, Gassies, Crosse and Pfeiffer have also contributed to the 

 literature. Notwithstanding the great amount of work which has 

 been done, a vast field for future labor remains. The anatomy is 

 but little known except in the New Zealand species, and very few 

 acceptable figures of the shells have been published. In this genus, 

 figures should be drawn of sufficient size to show clearly all features 

 of the shell, and this cannot be done with figures much smaller than 

 those illustrating the present work. 



