166 M. O. A. L. MORCh's REVIEW OF THE VERMETID^. [April 



" Shell thick, irregularly twisted, opake white, with a high com- 

 pressed wavy keel along the upper edge ; mouth orbicular, with a 

 tooth above it, formed by the keel. Operculum orbicular, horny." 



New Zealand, Parengarenga, North Cape, North Island (Dr. Dief- 

 fenhacK) . 



According to the description of the operculum. Dr. Gray is no 

 doubt correct in referring this shell to the Vermetidce. From the 

 dorsal keel I suppose it must be a Siphonium, which is the only 

 genus among the Vermetidce which has this character, most common 

 among the Serpulidce. 



23. Siphonium maximum, Sow., 1825. 



Serpula maxima, Sow. Tank. Cat. App. p. 93. n, 23. 



" T. irregulariter contorta, Iceviuscula, carina dorsali antice in 

 spinam nonnunquam desinente ; apertura expansa, testarum 

 juniorum subtrigona, operculo corneo." 



Several specimens exist in collections ; they are attached to, and 

 some of them deeply imbedded in coral. It is a very large species, the 

 tubes being almost an inch wide. The aperture in the older shell is 

 round (Sow.). 



Vermetus maximus, Gray, Spicileg. 1829, 1. p. 3, cum fig. anim. 



" T. junior adhcerens, irregulariter contorta, suhtriangularis, 

 dorso carinato, superius erecto, rotundato ; apertura orbicu- 

 laris ; peristomate tenui" (Gray). 



Pacific Ocean, with coral, Stutchbury (Mus. Brit.). 



Vermetus gigas, Gray, Fig. of Moll. iv. p. 28. t. 128. f. 1. 



Siphonium maximum, ib. p. 82. 



Serpula maxima, Brit. Mus. Wood, Index Supp. t. 8. f. 2 (8 inches). 



I have never seen a triangular young shell with a prominent keel 

 running out into a spine ; such a shell is, however, represented by 

 Wood, creeping on the old individual ; perhaps it is a Serpula. The 

 figure of Wood, from a specimen in the British Museum, is probably 

 not only the very specimen of Gray's, but also of Sowerby's descrip- 

 tion. 



Var. a. T. grandceva, repens, aperturam versus ampliata, superne 



undulato-varicosa, varice prcecipitante juxta aperturam ; strice 



incremeiiti membranacece, confer tissimce. 



Diam. aperturse 33 m. ; diam. cavitatis postice 14 m., long, cavi- 



tatis circiter 230 m., ; diam. max. tubae antice 40 m., postice 20 m. 



(coll. Chr. viii.). 



Vermetus gigas, A. & G., Chenu, 111. t. .5. f. 6 a (but smaller). 

 Var. /3, teres ; Iceviuscula. 



Karang surumbung*, Javanorum, Junghuhn, Java, 1854, iii. p. 68. 

 (tabula ultima). 



* Karang signifies a tube or quiver, and surumbung a coral reef or rock ; the 

 former is probably the same as the Malayan cappang, according to Rumphius, 

 used for Cuphus and Tenagodus. 



