THE » CONCHOLOGISTS’ - EXCHANGE. 
NOTES ON THE UNIONIDA: OF SOUTH- 
ERN FLORIDA. 
BY DR. S. HART WRIGHT & BERLIN H, WRIGHT. 
Unio Buckleyi, Lea. 
This species is a very marked one, and ought 
not to be mistaken for any other known Unio. 
It was first found by the late S. B. Buckley, 
LL. D., in Lake Monroe, Fla, but is quite 
common in the St. johns River and its lacustral 
expansions in South Florida. Mr. Buckley 
was born and lived nearly all his life near 
Penn Yan, N. Y. He traveled extensively in 
the} South to study its new plants, shells and 
animals, and located finally at Austin, Texas. 
His Unio is peculiar in having the posterior end 
elongated and pointed, with a great depressiou 
of the posterior and dorsal margin, the beaks be- 
ing far to the aztertor end, andscarcely elevated, 
the largest diameter being just below and back 
of the beaks. The young are smooth and 
rayed faintly, as are the adults when the 
epidermis is smooth, polished and like horn. 
Much confusion has arisen about this species, 
several other species having been distributed by | 
this name. In some cases a ¢7ezzcation is ap- 
- parent on the anterior margin as in U. Buddi- 
anus. Mr. C. T. Simpson has found it on the west 
side of the State, where it is more cylindrical, 
and more nearly white, usually being a beauti- 
ful salmon. ‘The greatest length is vertically 
through the umbos, and three-fourths of the 
width forward. 
U. Buddianis, Vea. 
Dr, Lea’s figure of this species is faulty in 
showing a long straight dorsal margin. We 
- found it plentiful in Lake Woodruff, and in a 
few other localities, but never found one just 
like the figured type, the dorsal margin always 
being more or less arched, but occasionally 
approximating a straight line. This too is a spe- 
cies not well known to collectors, and it has been 
sent out often as U. Buckleyi. It is an oblong 
species, Buckleyi being ova/, and its length is 
50 per cent. of its width. Shell rather thin 
for its size, usually grayish black, rather flat | 
and truneated before, above the middle of the 
anterior margin. 
U. Blandingianus, Lea. 
The habitat of Iea’s type was not exactly 
known, having been brought to St. Augustine 
by some Indians. We found it in Lake Wood- 
ruff and in the St. Johns River at Blue Spring 
Landing. Our specimens are rayed, smooth, 
and the outline agrees exactly with Lea’s type, 
but Mr. Simpson found specimens in Manatee 
River, Ila., on the west side of the State, which 
are much larger, coarser, squamose, and are 
like Conrad’s figure of U. viricolws, found in 
the same region ‘The latter is claimed by 
Lea, as being his blandingianus, yet it is more 
distinct than many of Lea’s co-related species. 
&”. coruscus, Gould. 
None of Gould’s Florida Uniones were fig- 
ured, the descriptions of which were published 
in Latin inthe Proc. Bost. Soc, Nat. Hist. 
The difficulty of recognizing a Unio from the 
description alone, is well known to concholo- 
gists, and this species has been an enigma to 
collectors generally. ‘The name is w2sleading, 
meaning columns of light, akin to those seen 
in the Aurora Borealis. ‘The shell has no such 
exhibit outside or inside, and is a misnomer. 
The nacre in perfect specimens is very beautiful 
being a mixture of copper color and purple, 
with flashing iridescence of purple and orange 
posterior. It is a sva// species with thick ray- 
less valves, deep cicatrices, heavy dorsal and 
dental plate, all the teeth short and heavy, 
highly arched just behind the umbos, and slop- 
ing off each way from that point. Pointed be- 
hind and rounded or truncate before, epidermis 
very dark brown, but not “ pitch black,” with 
many close zones of growth, and _ generally 
roughish, homely and zo¢ polished. The valves 
are generally badly crowded in the anterior and 
umbonial region, giving the shape of a scalene 
triangle, with the right and left angles or ends 
somewhat truncated, and nearly of the same 
size. ‘Typical size 134 inches wide, % long, 
5g diam. We found it in Lake Ashby, and in 
Lake Beresford, the latter being the origina/ 
locality. None were more than 13¢ inches 
transversely. Nearly all the pretty shells of 
central Florida, not exceeding 2% inches, have 
been distributed very generally as U. coruscus. 
Gld., none being genuine. 
To be Continued. 
