34 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 95 



marked by retractively curved lines of growth, which on the last 

 whorl suggest obsolete threads of irregular width and spacing. In 

 addition to this there are feeble, poorly defined, spiral lirations which 

 are best seen on the last turn. Suture strongly constricted ; periphery 

 inflated, strongly rounded. Base short, moderately broadly umbili- 

 cated and marked by the same sculpture that characterizes the last 

 whorl. Aperture large, broadly ovate, with the peristome slightly 

 expanded and reflected. The thickening on the outer lip behind the 

 peristome characteristic of the other members of the group almost 

 absent. The operculum is thin, corneous, and consists of 1.5 turns 

 with the nucleus strongly excentric. In the radula the rachidian tooth 

 has 5 denticles, of which the median is the strongest. There are 4 



2-1-2 



basals, that is, the formula is -. The lateral tooth is very oblique 



and has 7 denticles, of which the middle one is much stronger than 

 the rest. The inner marginal has 9 denticles and the outer 6. 



The type, U.S.N.M. no. 420950, was collected by Mr. Hirase at 

 Noto, Honshu Island, Japan. It has 3.4 whorls remaining, the apical 

 ones of which are badly eroded, and measures: Height, 3.5 mm; 

 diameter, 2.4 mm. 



Two additional specimens, U.S.N.M. no. 346039, yields the follow- 

 ing measurements : 2.5 and 2.7 whorls ; height, 3.4 and 3.0 mm ; 

 diameter, 2.2 and 2.3 mm, respectively. 



This species is much smaller than the two Philippine members 

 and has a quite dilTerent formula for the outer radular tooth. 



These shells were sent to us by Y. Hirase under the name Blan- 

 fordia minima Hirase. I have been unable to find a description of 

 this, and therefore consider that the name is new. 



ONCOMELANIA Gredler 



Genotype. — Oncoinclania liupciisis Gredler. 



From the very first to the last published paper upon members of 

 this genus doubt and uncertainty seem to have possessed the minds 

 of the students reporting upon them. 



Gredler (5), in creating the genus and species Oiicoiiiclaiiia liupcii- 

 sis, devotes considerable space to the justification of this act. Heude 

 (8), after describing six new species and recognizing two of the 

 previously named forms, also seems to have been puzzled about the 

 many forms which he described, for he says : 



In the presence of the forms figured on plate 33, everybody is at liberty to 

 decide for himself whether we have only local modifications of the same thing 

 in different localities which would be nothing but simple varieties, or if those 



