AET. 15 NEW AUSTRALIAN LAND SHELLS MARSHALL 1 1 



three paratypes (Cat. No. 333806, U.S.N.M.) come from St. Paul's 

 Island, Torres Strait, and were presented by Mr. C. Walton. 



Material at hand from Murray Islands is divisible into two species, 

 namely, the large whitish form described herein as Thersites wultoni; 

 and the smaller, dark forms. The latter are divided in this paper 

 into the five subspecies of Thersites hartschi which are described 

 below. As Murray Islands are a group of islands, it is probable that 

 these five subspecies come from separate islands, or perhaps in some 

 cases from the same island but from different locations. 



THERSITES (HADRA) BARTSCHI MURRAYENSIS, new subspecies 

 Plate 1, fig. 5 



Shell large, rather thick, conic. Whorls 614 but little rounded. 

 Base moderately convex, umbilicus large, partly concealed by the 

 reflected columellar lip. Body whorl angled at the periphery, the 

 angle more appreciable to touch than to sight, abruptly descending 

 at the aperture. Sculpture rather crude, of many prominent, retrac- 

 tive growth riblets, and with microscopic reticulations, which have a 

 tendency to spiral arrangement, especially on the body-whorl. Aper- 

 ture moderate, slightly oblique, peristome white simple at its upper 

 part, reflected from the periphery around to the umbilicus. Parietal 

 wall with a transparent glaze. Sutures crenulated by the upper ends 

 of the growth riblets, not deeply impressed, but emphasized by a 

 faint dark line below. Color of spire light chestnut, deepening to 

 dark chestnut on the last two whorls. Base very dark, nearly black, 

 an irregular whitish line suffusing the periphery and dividing the 

 colors of the spire and base. Interior bipartite in color, the upper 

 part nearly white, the lower part light violaceous. 



The type (Cat. No. 333807, U.S.N.M.) measures: Greater diameter, 

 46 mm.; lesser diameter, 41 mm.; height, 28.5 mm. It comes from 

 Murray Islands, Torres Strait, and was presented by Mr. C. Walton. 



THERSITES (HADRA) BARTSCHI FAMA, new subspecies 



Plate 3, fig. 9 



This is somewhat smaller than Thersites hartschi murrayensis with 

 the whorls more rounded and more exserted, the sutures more deeply 

 impressed, the colors less pronounced and lighter, the peristome more 

 expanded and the periphery less angulated. 



The type (Cat. No. 333809, U.S.N.M.) measures: Greater diameter, 

 43 mm. ; lesser diameter, 35.5 mm. ; height, 31 mm. It and a para- 

 type (Cat. No. 333810, U.S.N.M.) come from Murray Islands, Torres 

 Strait, and were presented by Mr. C. Walton. 



THERSITES (HADRA) BARTSCHI ELFA, new subspecies 



Plate 3, fig. 8 



This is a dwarfed form very like Thersites hartschi fama^ which it 

 approaches in all features but size. 



