70 Oi'iginal Descriptions of Achatinella. 



A small, uubauded species, scarcely exceeding half an inch 

 long, and perfectly resembling, in form, the green variety of buli- 

 nius citrinus. The three specimens, now before me, are reversed ; 

 varying from a light olive brown, to a livid purplish colour, which 

 lies in longitudinal shades, and gradually changes to white on the 

 terminal whorls of the spire ; the suture is marked by a narrow 

 band of deep fulvous : aperture white, tinged with purple. — Swain. 



Dr. Newcomb ver^- correclly unites A. livida Swains., A. em- 

 e r sonii y^e^wc. and A.glatica Gul. He says: "I am sorry to be 

 obliged to place so many sj-nouyms under this species. The verj- 

 short description and unsatisfactory figure given by Swainson, 

 have doubtless contributed to this result. A complete series to 

 connect the extremes of these varieties will demonstrate the neces- 

 sity of making at least a dozen more species, or to include them 

 all under one. Mr. Gulick is mistaken in supposing that the 

 variety figured b}- Mr. Reeve is not found on the island of Oahu. 

 This and all the other varieties are met with in the District of 

 Waialua, and it is an interesting fact, that all the species described 

 by Mr. Swainson are from the same district." 



Hab. Waialua.— Bald. 



In the type shell of A. livida Swains., Dr. Cooke found the 

 first three whorls w^hite, the fourth and fifth whorl greenish graj-, 

 suture brown, lip dark, and columella white. This group of short 

 shells is often called the Curta group. 



98. Achatinella curta Newcomb. 



A. curta Newc. P. Zool. Soc. [,ondon, 1S53, p. 144, pi. xxiii. fig. 43. 



Shell conical, sinistral, polished ; whorls 5, rounded, margined 

 above, the last very ventricose ; aperture ovate ; lip simple, slight- 

 ly thickened within ; columella short, with an abrupt callous ter- 

 mination ; suture but slightly impressed ; colour yellow or chestnut, 

 plain or with a black sutural band, rarely with two or more on the 

 last two whorls; columella white or light brown. Long. 12/20, 

 lat. 8/20 poll. 



The rounded whorls and obese appearance of this shell are 

 strikingly characteristic. It is a rare species and extremely limited 

 in its range. — Newc. 



Hab. Waialua. — Newc. 



The curta or livida group includes a number of shells of much 

 the same size, but having a great variety of colors. The}- all come 

 from the district near Helemano and Waialua. 



