274 NESOPUPA. 



Genus NESOPUPA Pilsbry. 



PtychochHus BOETTGER, Conchol. Mittheil., i, 1881, p. 47- 

 type P. tantilla Gld. Not Ptychocheilus Agassiz, Amer. Journ. 

 Sci. and Arts xix, 1855, p. 227. Not Ptychochilus, Jordan, 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 10, 1877, p. 58. 



Nesopupa Pils., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1900, p. 432. 



The shell is minute, rimate, oval or ovate, the surface usually 

 opaque and dull, pitted, striate or ribbed. Aperture with 

 angular, parietal and columellar lamellae and usually palatal 

 folds; lip expanded. Type N. tantilla (Gld.). 



Animal similar to Vertigo in lacking inferior tentacles. Eye 

 tentacles cylindric, rather stout, not swollen distally, the eyes 

 central in the ends as seen from above. 



Distribution : islands of the Pacific, Oriental and Ethiopian 

 regions, St. Helena. 



Nesopupa is closely related to Ptychalaea (see above) and 

 to Lyropupa, also to Costigo, Pronesopupa and CampotemuS) 

 which we believe to be groups derived from various Nesopupae. 

 The Madeiran Staurod&n* is also closer to Nesopupa than to 

 Vertigo. 



As tertiary fossils Nesopupae are known from the Upper 

 Oligocene to Pliocene of Europe. N. trigonvstoma (A. Brn.), 

 N. Uumi (Bttg.), JV. priscUla (Palad.) (see p. 220) apparently 

 belong here, appearing to be most related to the section Indo- 

 pupa. Central Europe at that time had numerous Oriental 

 genera of land snails. 



Inhabiting widely separated island groups, there have been 

 several nearly independent centers of evolution, making the 

 construction of a phylogenetic classification exceptionally dif- 

 ficult. Thus, the Hawaiian Vertigininae though greatly 

 varied, show few points of contact with those of other regions. 

 The forms of Polynesia and Micronesia are a homogeneous 

 group, but a few closely related species occur in the Moluccas 

 and Mauritius. The Oriental region series is closely related 

 to the Ethiopian group. 



While the interrelations of Nesopupid groups of restricted 

 areas are fairly clear, it is not so when those of different f aunal 



