Tf7 



CYPRiEA CHRYSALIS Kien. AND C. MICRODON Gray. 



By JAMES COSMO MELVILL. 



(Read before the Society, April lo, 1901). 



In November, 1892, I read before the Conchological Society^ a 

 resume of the history of Cyprcea chrysalis Kien., a species long over- 

 looked, misunderstood, or confused with C. fiinhriata Gmel., drawing 

 attention to the fact that it was in all probability — nay, almost cer- 

 tainly — a good species, and basing this decided opinion on the 

 acquisition of a specimen in fine condition, formerly in the collection 

 of Mr. C. W. Viner, of Bath, and with a ticket attached in the hand- 

 writing of L. C. Kiener, as "C chrysalis, mihi." It is necessary to 

 re-open the question now, as, during the past few months a consider- 

 able flood of new light has been thrown on it, and these fresh 

 developments I will at once proceed with seriatim. 



M. Vayssiere, professor of biology in the University of Marseilles, 

 last autumn forwarded me several doubtful species and varieties of 

 Cyprcea, mostly, if not entirely, belonging to the Museum attached to 

 the University, to diagnose and name for him. Amongst these were 

 three specimens of C. chrysalis Kien., one, in fine condition, being 

 the original Kienerian type figured in "Iconographie Coq.Viv.," pi. 54, 

 f. 4, 4a, and from that source copied by all subsequent monographers 

 of the genus. This specimen, which I had imagined existed in the 

 Paris Museum, was certified as the type in the hand-writing of the 

 author, and it exactly agrees in every particular with my own, which 

 may be called the second type, or co-type, as having also passed 

 through the hands of, and been critically differentiated by its original 

 discoverer. Mr. R. Standen has a fine series of this species, all similar, 

 from Borneo; Mr. J. R. Hardy two from the collection of the late 

 Mr. Arthur Adams. It is to be seen, but not in fine condition in the 

 Manchester Museum, from Lifu (Hadfield Collection) in which locality 

 it was rare ; good examples likewise exist in the collections of Messrs. 

 Thomas Rogers, J. W. Edwards, and J. M. Williams ; Mr. R. Cairns 

 also has it fine from Mauritius and other localities. 



In our National Collection at South Kensington it has not been 

 fully understood as a species, and I detected a specimen or two mixed 

 up with C. fimbriata Gmel. in the table cases. 



Mr. Raymond Roberts^ and Sowerby' consider both C. microdon 

 and C. macula good species, and this dictum has been generally fol- 

 lowed. In the " Survey of Cypr^ea," 1888, however, I esteemed both 

 these varieties merely of C. fimbriata. 



1 /. 0/ Conch., vol. 7, pp. 120-122, 1893. 



2 Tryon, "Man. Conch.," vol. 7, p. i6g. 



3 " Thes. Conch. Cypraea," p. 30, figs. 385, 386. 



