106 
RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 
vague resemblance to the palmar aspect of a clenched left hand 
suggested the name of, — 
Pugnus, gen. nov. 
By its thrice folded columella, anterior canal, thickened outer 
lip, an d sculpture of spiral grooves crossed by transverse strim, 
this very distinct genus takes a place in the family Ringiculidse. 
From the only other surviving genus Ringicula , Pugnus is 
separated by its involute shell and buried spire. In the short- 
ness of the spire the Cretaceous fossil Avellana occupies a position 
intermediate between these two. Its contour is however more 
globose, and those subordinate groups which agree with Pugnus 
in possessing a smooth lip, appear to differ by having one columella 
plication only. The type and only species is, — 
Pugnus parvus, sp. nov. 
Shell minute, white, solid, oblong, involute, spire buried, im- 
perforate at either extremity, the posterior of the inner portion of 
the last whorl obliquely sloped. Sculptured by about thirty spiral 
grooves, whose interstices are three times their breadth, and are 
cut by longitudinal strim into squarish facets. Aperture as lone; 
as the shell, vertical, contracted in the middle, expanded anteriorly 
and posteriorly, inner lip overlaid with callus ; outer lip smooth, 
greatly thickened externally and internally, springing from a false 
umbilicus in the vertex, arched higher than it, arcuate peripher- 
ally, curving below the. whorl up to the columella and channelled 
at the junction \ anteriorly the columella bears a strong entering 
fold, posterior and parallel to which is a weaker one, and posterior 
to this again a small deeply-seated third fold is just distinguish- 
able. Length, 1|- ; breadth, 1mm. Animal unknown. 
Log . — Manly, near Sydney, alive, at low tide on rocks, and 
dead in shell sand from Middle Harbour. (A. U. Henn). 
Type . — Australian Museum, C. 2524. 
DESCRIPTION of a DAPANOPTERA from AUSTRALIA. 
By Frederick A. A. Skuse. 
(Entomologist to the Australian Museum). 
In the present contribution it appears advisable that it should 
be prefaced by an explanation of the reason why scientific names 
and descriptions, which the majority of the public does not seem 
to quite understand, are published in the manner they are, and why 
such a course is necessary to the end for which they are written. 
