SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



57 



A NEW SHELL 



And Illustrations of some hitherto UNFicuREn Helicidae, 

 By G. K. GuDE, F.Z.S. 



/"^ OR ASIA LAURAE, n. sp.— Testa imperforata, 

 orbiculate depressa, tenuis, obliquis cre- 

 berrimis striis distincta, quae striis spiralibus 

 decussantur ; subpellucida, nitida, pallidecoerulea ; 

 media pai's anfractus ultimi vivide coerulescens, 

 fascia lutea sub sutura ornata ; spira convexa, 

 obtusa ; apex pallida lutea vel albida ; sutura 

 leviter impressa ; anfr. 4^, convexi ; peripheria 

 acute carinata, pars superior paulum crenulata ; 

 anfr. ultimus antice breviter deflexus ; apertura 

 obliqua, subtrigona ; peristoma simplex, tenue, 

 margine superiori paulum expanse, gibboso, luteo, 

 basali breviter reflexo, columellari arcuate declivi, 

 compresso, paulum excavato, ex albido coerulescens. 

 — Diam. maj. ig-25, min. 16-22, alt. 11-13 mm. 



Fig. i.—Corasia laurae. 



Hab. — North Luzon, Philippine Islands. 



Shell imperforate, orbiculately depressed, thin, 

 obliquely and closely striate, decussated with spiral 

 lines, sub-pellucid, shining, pale blue ; the middle of 

 the last whorl vivid blue, with a yellow band under 

 the suture ; spire convex, obtuse ; apex pale yellow 

 or whitish ; suture slightly impressed ; whorls 4J, 

 convex ; periphery acutely keeled, the upper side 

 of the keel slightly crenulate ; last whorl shortly 

 descending in front ; aperture oblique, subtrigonal ; 

 peristome simple, thin ; upper margin slightly 

 expanded, gibbous, yellow ; basal margin shortly 

 reflexed ; columellar margin arcuately sloping, 

 compressed, slightly excavated, bluish white. 



The shell here figured was received by me from 

 Mr. Hugh Fulton, of 216, Fulham Road, London, 

 under the name of Corasia psittacina, Desh., but on 

 comparison with the description and figure of that 

 species, "Journal de Conchy liologie," ix., (1861), 

 p. 350, t. 16, f. 3-5, it was evident that the two 

 shells were distinct, and this opinion was con- 

 firmed by an examination of the specimens of 

 Corasia psittacina in the British Museum collection. 

 Although undoubtedly belonging to the phylum of 

 Corasia psittacina, the characters which separate 

 Corasia laurae from that species, are sufficient to 

 warrant its being raised to specific rank, and as it 

 does not appear to have been previously charac- 

 terized, I venture to publish it as a new species. 



August, 1896, — No. 27, Vol. III. 



It differs from Corasia psittacina in having the 

 whorls more flattened ; it has an acute compressed 

 keel which is crenulated above, while in Corasia 

 psittacina, the periphery is rounded and sub-angular ; 

 the last whorl is less widened towards the aperture, 

 more contracted behind the peristome, and abruptly 

 descending in front ; the aperture is more triangu- 

 lar in outline, the margins are more approximating, 

 and the columellar margin is more arcuate and less 

 sloping. All the specimens which Mr. Fulton 

 obligingly showed me, six or seven in number, 

 agreed in the above-noted characters, but, as 

 already indicated, some variation in size was 

 observable. This beautiful species is named in 

 honour of Miss Laura Andrew. 



Some Unfigured Shells. 



Among the large number of shells which regret- 

 tably remain unfigured, the following— from the 

 Philippine Islands, Marianne Islands, and Spain — 

 amongst others, have come into my possession, 

 and I have thought it useful to give illustrations 

 of them. 



Ganesella catocyrta. — Described by Quadras 

 and Moellendorff as Satsnma catocyrta in " Nach- 

 richtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen 

 Gesellschaft," 1895, p. 1 15, as follows ;— " T. anguste 

 et fere omnino obtecte perforata, elate turbinata, 



Fig. 2. — Ganesella catocyrta. 



solidula, subpellucida, subtiliter striatula et lineis 

 spiralibus sub lente fortiore vix conspicuis decussa- 

 tula, nitens, pallida flavescens, taeniis 2, una 

 angustiore prope suturam, altera latiore supra 

 peripheriam castaneis ornata ; spira valde elevata 

 lateribus fere strictis, apice obtusulo. Anfr. 7, 

 primi 5 fere plani, penultimus convexiusculus, 

 ultimus convexior, ad peripheriam obtuse sub- 

 carinatus, basi tumidus, gibber, pone aperturam 

 contractus, breviter valde deflexus. Apertura 

 maxime obliqua, truncato-elliptica, peristoma 

 modice expansum, basi reflexiusculum, margine 

 columellari superne valda dilatato subrecurvato, 

 perforationem fere omnino obtegente.— Diam. 

 maj. 17-1S, alt. 17-5-19, apert. lat. 11-12. long. 



