RECENT MOLLUSCS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND 



PLEISTOCENE AND PLIOCENE SPECIES FROM 



THE GULF STATES 



BY 



Carlotta Joaquina Maury 



Introduction 



While acting as paleontologist on the Louisiana State Geo- 

 logical Survey, some years ago, a great number of deep well fos- 

 sils were placed in my hands for identification by the Director of 

 the Survey, Professor G. D. Harris. 



Many of the well fossils had been collected in the Jennings 

 oil field which was then being activel}' exploited, and an interest- 

 ing series was presented to the Survey by Mr. Knapp from his 

 experimental wells in Terrebonne Parish. Mr. Krackie of New 

 Orleans also presented a collection from the Gymnasium Club 

 well in that city. Specimens from Alabama wells were loaned b)- 

 Mr. Aldrich. 



Professor Harris made extensive collections of recent shells 

 at points along the coast from Cedar Keys, Florida, to Galveston, 

 Texas, and he and Mr. Whitney collected a large number of 

 Pleistocene shells at Grand Chenier, Louisiana, and at the New 

 Orleans pumping station. These recent and Pleistocene shells 

 were also identified by the writer and used for comparative stud}- 

 with the well fossils. 



It is rather singular that while the molluscan faunas of our 

 Atlantic and Pacific coasts have been extensivelj' studied, the 

 Gulf Coast fauna has been comparatively neglected. For this 

 reason it seems as though an annotated catalogue, embracing the 

 results of our work, and that of Dr. Dall, Messrs. Hilgard, Sing- 

 ey, Aldrich, Mitchell, Vanatta and others, might be of value. 



