225 



1903. Circe imdatina and C. scripta Hidalgo, Obras MalacoL, II, pp. 123, 124. 



1905. Circe tmdatina and C. scripta Hidalgo, Cat. Filip., p. 330. 



1906. Circe scripta and var. fiilgiirata Melvill & Standen, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 831. 

 1906. Circe scripta Owston, Japan. Loochooan Shells, p. 39. 



1906. Gafrariiim scriptum Hedley, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, XXXI, p. 466. 



1906. Circe scripta Standen & Leicester, Ceylon Pearl Oyster Rept., V, p. 292. 



1909. Circe scripta Melvill, Trans. Linn. Soc. London (Zool.), XIII, p. 131. 



1909. Circe scripta Lamy, Bull. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Paris, XV, p. 468. 



1909. Circe scripta Lynge, D. Kgl. Dansk. Vidensk. Selsk. Skr. Nat. Math., (7) V, p. 230. 



19 10. Gafrarium scriptum Hedley, Austral. Ass. Adv. Sci., XII, p^ 348. 



191 1. Circe scripta Pelseneer, "Siboga" Lamellibranches (Anat.), pi. XIX, fig. 3. 



1928. Circe scripta Faustino, Summary Philippine Mar. Freshw. Moll., p. 78. 



1929. Circe scripta Dautzenberg, Faun. Colon. Français., III, p. 598. 



1930. Circe scripta Cox, Mon. Geol. Dept. Hunterian Mus. Glasgow Univ., N° 4, p. 156. 



The opinions of the différent authorities in référence to the Linnaean species Venus scripta 

 are very confused. The shells of this species vary a great deal in outline, sculpture and colouration, 

 and hâve been described as several distinct species. The Linnaean descriptions and the figures 

 cited by the author do not agrée regarding the outline of the shell and it is almost impossible 

 to be definite about the species as understood by Linnaeus. Hanley's work on the Linnaean 

 Cabinet also unfortunately does not help in the unravelling of this tangle. In any case, as the 

 species is so variable, and no constant différences can be determined, it is best to combine the 

 varions species. 



The species has a subcircular to even quadrate shell with the umbones lying in front of 

 the middle. It is greatly compressed posteriorly and is not very inflated. The posterior margin 

 may be rounded or distinctly angulate. The sculpture consists of closely placed moderately thick 

 or strong and prominent concentric ridges The colouration may be a uniform yellow or more 

 often painted with a large number of zigzag V-shaped brownish markings ; the lunule and area 

 are often dark brown and on some shells there are two broad brown bands radiating from the 

 umbones down to the ventral margin. 



In addition to the species included in the synonymy given above, Circe albida Deshayes ^), 

 C. fulgurata Reeve ^), C. siùgillata Reeve ^) (non Jonas) and C. trigona'^) are also to be 

 considered as synonyms or at the most varieties of C. scripta. C. oblonga Deshayes ^) has a 

 more oblong shell of a uniform yellowish colour and probably with more extensive material 

 would also be included in the synonymy of this variable species. 



Distribution : — C. scripta has a very wide range in the Indo-Pacific Région, and has 

 also been recorded from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. 



In the "Siboga" collection there are shells of this species from the Anchorage off Djangkar, 

 Java (St. 4), Bay of Pidjot, Lombok (St. 33), Saleyer (St. 213), Tuai Anchorage, Kei Islands 

 (St. 258), Dobo Reef, Aru Islands (St. 272) and the Anchorage east of Dangar Besar, Saleh 

 Bay (St. 313)- ' 



i) Deshayes, G. P. — Cat. Conch. Brit. Mus., I, Veneridae etc., p. 84 ("1853). 



2) Reeve, L. — Conch. Icon., XIV, Cï?r^, pi. II, fig. 5 (1863). 



3) Reeve, L. — Op. cit., pi. III, fig. 11 (1863). 



4) Reeve, L. — Op. cit., pi. III, fig. 12 (1863). 



5) Deshayes, G. P. — G p. cit., p. 86 (1853). 



SIBOGA-EXPEDITIE LUI (T. 29 



