22 
Transactions of the Roy at Society of Sontli Africa. 
to regard the shell from Zululand as a singularly depressed form of 
Scala, which, when more is known respecting the characters of the 
aperture, might eventually be placed under a new generic name. 
Locality. — North end of False Bay. ^ 
Family AECHITECTONICID^. 
Genus AECHITECTONICA, J. F. Bolten, 1798. 
Museum Boltenianum [Hamburg] , 1798, Part 2, p. 78. 
Aechitectonica africana, n. sp. 
Plate YIII., figs. 13-15. 
Description. — Shell short, summit obtuse, broadly conical, height 
less than basal diameter ; whorls about seven, depressed, gradually 
widening from nucleus, last about double the width of penultimate, 
separated by a thin and distinct suture, basal margin obtuse ; base 
plano-convex, furnished with a narrow umbilicus surrounded by a small 
circular furrow and a radially plicated funnel-shaped area extending 
from the small cavity ; aperture subrhomboidal and projecting partially 
over the umbilical region at the columella ; sculpture of upper surface 
consisting of closely set spiral striations crossed by extremely fine, 
obliquely disposed striae, and forming a minutely reticulated struc- 
ture, posterior margin of whorls bearing a regular series of small, 
somewhat obscure, longitudinally elongate nodes ; basal surface 
with a similarly constituted ornamentation but extending only to 
the circular groove, which is bordered by obscure nodulations. 
Dimensions. — 
Height 8 mm. 
Diameter 12 
Observations. — This small Gastropod is represented by five speci- 
mens in different states of preservation which, so far as research 
has gone, appears to be an entirely new form. It may be distin- 
guished by its obtusely conical shape, the small aad partially closed 
umbilicus circumscribed by a narrow circular furrow, and the finely 
reticulated surface ornament, which is without the usual granulated 
sculpture rings of this genus. It is probably related, however, to 
Solarium imlchellum of Baily and S. luicheli of Griesbach, both 
regarded by Mr. H. Woods as one species under the name of S. baily i 
of Gabb (Annals SoiitJi African Museum, 1906, vol. 4, part 7, pi. 38, 
figs. 4, 5, p. 315), from the Campanian rocks of Pondoland. Our 
species has a nearly similar sculpture, and is chiefly separable on 
account of the presence of the basal groove which surrounds the 
