351 



Venericardia lutea, Hutton. 



Cardita lutea, Hutton; Man. New Zealand Moll., 1880, p. 

 159: Venericardia lutea, Hutton, Hedley, Trans. New Zealand 

 Inst., vol. xxxviii., 1905, p. 72, pi. i, f. 6. 



Dredged 14 fathoms off Ardrossan, sixteen alive and 

 several valves; 15 fathoms off Wallaroo, four alive and seven 

 valves; 20 fathoms Gulf St. Vincent, two alive. 



Venericardia columnaria, Hedley and May. 



Venericardia columnaria, Hedlej^ and May, Records Austr. 

 Mus., vol. vii.. No. 2, 1908, p. 125, pi. xxv., f. 37-40. Type 

 locality. — 100 fathoms, off Cape Pillar, Tasmania. 



The South Australian shells are not quite so produced 

 anteriorly as the type, and may have twenty-six ribs. They 

 may reach 88 mm. in length and 77 mm. in height. Younger 

 shells are comparatively more transverse. The colour is 

 white, tinged with brown on the margins beyond the hinge 

 plate; there may be brownish smears at both ends intern- 

 ally, or the pallial line and the muscle scars may be painted 

 brown ; or the outer surface may be faintly brown, most 

 marked at the umbos. 



Dredged in 40 fathoms off Beachport, five valves; in 49 

 fathoms, twelve valves; in 100 and 110 fathoms, very many 

 valves; in 150 fathoms, seventy-six valves; and in 200 

 fathoms, seventeen valves; in 130 fathoms off Cape Jaffa, very 

 many valves and one perfect shell. Its habitat is apparently 

 from 100 to 150 fathoms. 



Venericardia delicata, n. sp. PI. xvi., f. 18, 19. 



Shell rather thin, transversely oval, subequilateral. 

 Umbos in front of centre, directed forward, rather promin- 

 ent, approximate. Post-dorsal border sloping, barely con- 

 cave, anterior concave. Front margin well curved, ventral 

 less, posterior wider, somewhat truncately convex. Radial 

 ribs twenty-four, narrower than their interspaces, high, 

 closely and finely transversely scaled, denticulating the mar- 

 gins. Very fine accremental striae crowd the intercostal spaces, 

 a larger one corresponding with each scale. Lunule nar- 

 rowly cordiform, smooth, prominent in the centre. Left valve 

 with two diverging cardinal teeth, tiny anterior lateral tooth 

 in front of lunule ; right valve with wide triangular cardinal, 

 socket in front of lunule, minute posterior lateral. Interior 

 w^hite glistening, rayed by ribs, margins denticulated. 



Dim. — Antero-posterior diameter, 8*5 mm.; umbo-ven- 

 tral, 7*2 mm. 



Colour — Sparsely irregularly dotted outside with brown. 



A living example is of a light greyish tint, spotted with 

 brown disposed somewhat concentrically, and has the lunule 



