ON THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF PATELLA 

 KERMADECENSIS, PILSBRY. 



By henry SUTER. 



(Plate viii.) 



Described and figured in 1894, '^' the soft parts of this mollusc have 

 remained unknown. Some two years ago Mr. Shakespear, of Little 

 Barrier Island, on a trip to the Kermadecs, kindly procured for me 

 some specimens with the animal, and it was my intention of giving 

 an account of the anatomy of this large and beautiful species ; but having 

 only a very limited time for scientific research at my disposal, I had 

 to abandon the idea, and am now publishing only a few notes which 

 may help to settle the systematic position of this mollusc. 



The accompanying figure (PI. viii, fig. i.) of the underside of 

 P. A-ermadecensis, drawn in natural size from a spirit specimen, shows 

 that the branchial cordon is complete, and not interrupted in front. 



The radula is rather short, and the formula is 3 d" ^- \)s. Figure 

 II represents a row of teeth, and hardly needs an explanation. It may, 

 however, be mentioned that the short rhachidian tooth bears two 

 small sharp side-cusps on its reflected portion. The radula contains 

 about 85 rows of teeth. 



These few facts would, it seems to me, suggest that the species 

 may be best classed under sect. AwUfroinesus, Dall, of the sub-genus 

 Patella, L. (s.str ) 



New Zealand, Auckland, 10, Oct. 1902. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE VIIL 



Fig. I. Under side of Patella kerinadecciisis, Pilsbry, from spirit 



specimen. Natural size. 

 Fig. 2. Teeth of radula, magnified. 



I. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sqi. Philadelphia, 1894, pp.2o8-2i2, Pis. vii-viii. 



