L.YMNJEIDM OF NORTH AMERICA. 175 



Type : One specimen. Lea Colin., Smithsonian Institution No. 

 118670. 



Type Locality: Poland, Ohio. 



Animal : Not seen. 



Jaw, Radula and Genitalia : Not examined. 



Range : The range of variety casta is unsatisfactorily known, 

 owing probably to its being confused with typical columella. In view 

 of this fact, generalities must be dispensed with. It is not known at 

 present outside of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and is hence confined 

 entirely to the Upper Mississippian region and drainage, and to the 

 humid division of the Upper Austral life zone. 



RECORDS. 



UNITED STATES. 



Illinois: — Mercer Co. (Marsh). 



Indiana: La Porte, La Porte Co. (Daniels); Bass Lake, Starke Co. 

 (Daniels; Woodruff) . 



Ohio: Poland, Mahoning Co. (Lea); Kent, Portage Co. (Dean, Sterki; 

 Walker). 



Geological Range: Unknown. 



Ecology : Similar to columella. 



Remarks : Casta may be distinguished from chalybea by its very 

 narrow, elongated, somewhat oblique shell, pointed spire, long and 

 narrozv aperture and particularly by its almost straight inner lip margin 

 (Compare fig. 13 with fig. 14). The shells from Bass Lake contain 

 an occasional specimen which has the chalybean form of aperture, but 

 this is rare, the majority of specimens conforming closely to the casta 

 type with an almost straight inner lip margin. This variety is one of 

 the most beautiful of the columella group ; the color is a rich, shining 

 yellowish horn and the surface is marked by raised growth lines, which 

 are crossed by fine impressed spiral lines, giving the surface the appear- 

 ance of engraved steel. Were it not for the presence of occasional 

 intermediate forms, this variety might be raised to specific rank. 



Lea gives six whorls in his description, but his type specimen does 

 not show this number, nor do any of the Bass Lake specimens. It is 

 probable that both variety casta and variety chalybea have been in- 

 cluded in some of the records of columella, but this cannot be deter- 

 mined without an examination of the original specimens, which is quite 

 impossible in most instances. 



Pseudosuccinea columella championi (Von Martens). Plate 



XXIV, figure 20. 



Limncca columella var. championi Martens, Biol. Cent. Amer., Moll., 

 p. 379, pi. 19, fig. 12, 1899. 



