MET^VII.L : NOTES ON THE GENUS HARPA. 3,1 



Two varieties have been named of this species : — 

 (a) multicostata Sowerby, Gen. of Shells, p. i. 

 {h) gruneri Maltzan, MS., A. Sutor, Jahrbuch Mai. Gesellsch., iv., 

 1877, t. 4, f. 2. 

 Both these are many-ridged varieties ; the latter is distinguished by 

 its author by having "ausserordentlich zahlreiche und dabei ganz 

 scliarfen Rippen." 



{c) var. laetifica nov. 



A dwarf race, with fewer ribs, never overlapping, ribs more 

 brightly coloured, fawn-carnation, flattened, shining, about ten in 

 number dorsally, the transverse bands well defined and darker, 

 interstices plain. 



Long., 45 mm. ; lat., 29 mm. 



Hab. ? 



I have at various times seen a fair series of this small, fewer-ribbed, 

 dwarf form, and consider it nearly if not quite full grown. It is well 

 figured in Reeve's Conch. Icon., vol. i., Harpa, pi. i., f. 2d ; and also 

 in Sowerby, Thes. Conch., pi. 233, fig. 23. 



2. — Harpa major Bolten. 



Harpa wrt/'^r Bolten, 1798, Mus. Bolt., p. 149, no. 1872. 

 ? Buccinum harpa Linn., Syst. Nat., x., p. 738 ; xii., p. 1201. 

 Gm^elin, p. 3482. 

 ,, „ Martini, Conch. Cab., iii., t. 119, f 109. 



,, „ var. a Dillwyn, Cat. ii., p. 207. 



,, ,, var. a Bruguiere, Diet., no. 9. 



Harpa vetitricosa Lamarck, An. Sans Vert., vii., p. 255. 

 ,, ,, Deshayes, Encycl. Method., ii., p. 185. 



,, ,, Kiener, Coq. Viv., Purp., i., p. 7, pi. i., figs, i, la. 



,, ,, Tryon, ALan. Conch., v., p. 98, pi. X2, fig. 59, 60. 



Habitat : Eastern tropics, Mauritius ; Persian Gulf, very rare, F. W. 

 Townsend ; Philippine Isles to N. and N.W. Australia. 



This most well known and frequent species would in a common- 

 sense purview be taken as the type of B. harpa L. But, though Mr. 

 Hanley succeeded to his own satisfaction in weighing the probabili- 

 ties in favour of ?iobilis, a more uncommon species, I still think 

 sufficient element of doubt remains — a doubt shared by nearly all 

 who have written on the subject— which should prevent this name 

 being pressed forward as the specific term to be used for either 

 veniricosa, minor, or nobilis. Under these circumstances, the Bolt- 

 enian name 7najor has precedence by one year over the l)etter known 

 and more appropriate vetitricosa. 



