DESCRIPTION OF A NEW VARIETY OF 

 CYPRiEA VARIOLARIA Lamk. 



By JAMES COSMO MELYILL, D.Sc, and ROBERT STANDEN. 



(Read before the Society, April 14th, 1915). 



C. variolaria Lamarck, var. amiges nov. — 



Shell somewhat incrassate laterally, and broadened, normally 

 shaped, the labial teeth strong, fourteen in number, the columellar 

 dentition feeble and thin, not far extending over the base, as is the 

 general case with the allied C. cauiica and most of its varieties. 

 Whole substance of shell subpellucid, dorsally bright stramineous, 

 with shade of ochre, the usual typical pattern much obscured, 

 and hardly determinable without a lens, when the round clear 

 spots, so characteristic of the species are observable, C. caurica 

 never possessing them. 

 Long. 40, lat. 26 mm. 



We have seen only one example of this beautiful form, which stands 

 in relation to the type precisely as the var. straininea does to C. erosa 

 L., and var. hawaiiemis to C. helvola L., and we are indebted to Mr. 

 J. Kidson Taylor for first calling our attention to its affinity with C. 

 variolaria. 



We agree with ^Mr. H. O. N. Shaw in adopting the name variolaria 

 Lam. instead of the well-known crtienta Gmel. ; he first quotes Dr. 

 J. G. Hidalgo'- in saying that this latter name, as adopted generally, 

 was bestowed on the wrong species, for Gmelin signalized C. errones 

 L. as his cruenta, this name being, of course, thus rendered synonymic, 

 and therefore, b\- the rules of nomenclature, not allowed again to 

 come into use. C. chinensis, another name of Gmelin's, is now 

 adopted by Hidalgo,-' but the original description is so vague that it 

 seems best to discard it in favour of a name often used for this species 

 preferentially by authors, of which the description is good and deci- 

 sive. The varietal name is the Greek d/y.tyijs, a word used by Aristotle, 

 expressive of clearness and purity. 



The unique specimen is in the collection of R. Standen. The 

 locality is not exactly known. The type is found, however, in the 

 Hawaiian x\rchipelago and it is, therefore, quite possible this variety 

 came from thence, so many species of the genus found in those 

 regions being of the same pellucidity and bright dorsal colouration. 



1 Proc. Malac. Soc, viii., p. 294 (1909). 



2 Hidalgo : "Cyprasa," p. 174. 



3 Hidalgo : " Cyprasa," p. 307. 



