INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, PHILADELPHIA. 1 37 



short and rather wide ; pillar twisted ; aperture rather narrow; outer lip (in 

 the adult?) thin, simple. Max. Ion. of shell 4.5 ; max. diam. 1.6 mm. 



Rare in the Caloosahatchie marl. 



The specimens of this interesting species are not quite mature. Doubtless 

 the outer lip would be thickened and possibly Urate in the adult. It has the 

 large nucleus which we observe in recent species of Astyris from rather deep 

 water. I do not know any recent or fossil species to which it is very closely 

 related. 



Subgenus Astyris Adams. 



This group is also quite ancient. Surculites annosa*- Conrad, from the 

 Shark River, N. J., older Eocene, has the appearance of an Astyiis rather 

 than of a Pleiirotoma of any group, but I know it only by the figure. The 

 oldest unquestionable Astyris I have actually identified from the specimens is 

 A. parva H. C. Lea, from the Claiborne sands. f This has just about the same 

 characters as the recent species. In the Miocene the species are larger and 

 more numerous, but the group seems to have attained its maximum of de- 

 velopment both in size and number of species in the existing fauna. 



Astyris lunata Say. 

 Nassa lunata Say, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. v. p. 213, 1826. 

 Astyris lunata Dall, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. xiii. p. 242, 1870. 



Pliocene of South Carolina and of the Caloo.sahatchie, Florida ; Post- 

 Pliocene of South Carolina, New York, the Myakka River and North Creek, 

 West Florida. Living on the Atlantic Coast from Prince Edward's Island to 

 the Florida Keys. 



This widespread, variable, and well-known little species is represented by 

 characteristic examples in the Caloosahatchie marl. In the writings of the 

 earlier American paleontologists, A. communis Conr., though a much larger 

 species, was often confounded with A. lunata. 



Astyris profundi Dall. 

 Astyris pro/undi DslW, Blake Gastr., p. 192, pi. 35, fig. 3, 1889. 



Pliocene of the Caloosahatchie beds and Shell Creek, S. W. Florida. 

 Recent from North Carolina to Cuba in rather deep water. 



This interesting species is represented by a large and a smaller form in the 

 marls, which are 8.25 and 7.0 mm. long respectively, and do not differ by any 

 other character. To the latter I have applied the varietal name of minor. 



In the Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. for 1862, p. 287, Mr. Conrad has given in- 

 adequate descriptions of three unfigured ColnmbellidcB. It would be impossible 



« Am. Journ. Conch, i. p. 213, pi. 2J, fig. 9, 1865. 



t Am. Journ. Sci. x). p. 100, pi. 1, flg. 17, 1841 ; Bacciimm paroiim H. C. Lea (not Sowerby, 1S41). With this 

 appears to be synonymous Colitmbella tun-icula Whitfield, Am. Journ. Conch, i. p. 261, pi. 27, flg. 1, 1S65 (not 

 C. turriciila Sowerbv, 1832). Bv the figure, Colitmbella mississippiensis Jleyer & Aldrich (Journ, Cinnnniati Boo. 

 Nat. Hist ix. p. 43, pi. 2, flg. 17. July, 18S6), is a well-characlerized Aslijns, and belongs to nn horizon earlier 

 than the Claiborne sands, which hiriicates that the development of the group must have begun considerably 

 before that period. 



