79 



Notes on South Australian Polyplacophora, witi-t 

 additions to the fauna; together with a list 

 of australian polyplacophora, showing their: 

 distribution in the australian states. 



By Edwin Ashby. 



[Read June 13, 1918.] 



In presenting this list of Australian Polyplacophora the~ 

 writer is conscious of many imperfections. It was prepared 

 originally for his personal use, as an aid to the further 

 study of the very interesting order of mollusca dealt with. 

 But on submitting the rough draft to his friends, Mr. W. 

 L. May and Dr. W. G. Torr, he has been encouraged to' 

 offer it for publication at once. As far as possible the latest 

 classification has been adopted and the list kept as concise 

 as possible, the writer contenting himself with giving a 

 bibliography of the various works and papers consulted. 



The list presents many peculiarities of distribution, but 

 comments thereon are beyond the limits of this paper. 



While, lists of the Polyplacophora recorded from several 

 of the individual States have from time to time been pre- 

 sented, no complete list for the whole of Australia appears 

 to have been compiled previously. Mr. T. Iredale's list 

 (Proc. Mai. Soc., vol. ix., pt. iii., p. 158, Sept. 1910) is 

 incomplete, and intended only to illustrate his very interest- 

 ing paper. 



I have with some misgivings included the fauna of 

 Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island in the New South 

 Wales list, thereby increasing the number of species credited 

 to that State. 



The number of species and subspecies recorded from the 

 respective States are as follows : — Western Australia, 40 ; 

 South Australia, 70; Victoria, 36; Tasmania, 44; New 

 South Wales, 41 ; Queensland, 30. The total for Australia 

 is 147, a few of which are doubtful. South Australia has 

 the honour of holding easily the first place as to number of 

 species, and, in fact, about half the total known Australian 

 species have now been recorded from that State. (I have 

 in my collection a specimen of Acanthochiton zealandicus, 

 Quoy. and Gaim., labelled "New South Wales," but no 

 further data. I have not felt justified in placing it on the 

 Australian list until further data are forthcoming.) 



