Mem. Nat. Mus. Vict., XI, 1939. 
THE FKESHWATER MOLLUSCA OF VICTORIA. 
By G. J . Gabriel. 
(Honorary Gonchologist, National Museum.) 
(Plates I-IV, Figs. 1-43.) 
In the Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Vol. 
xvi, 1882, E. A. Smith published a well illustrated article on 
The Freshwater Shells of Australia. Since then, however, in 
this State the fluviatile forms have been somewhat neglected. 
Confusion prevails as regards both genera and species, and 
the present paper has been prepared with the object of 
assisting in identification of the Victorian species. Much 
has been written on the subject, hut as W. L. May remarks 
in his Revised Census of the Tasmanian Fluviatile Mollusca 
(Pr. Roy. Soc. Tas. for 1920, p. 65), “overlapping has 
occurred in previous work, creating many synonyms through 
the absence of figures and uncertainty as to what previously 
described species really were. Again, too much stress has 
been laid on small variation in the erection of species, which 
variation proves to he individual and not specific.” This 
applies to many Victorian forms, a fact made evident in the 
large synonymy. 
Thirty-three species are herein accepted and are repre- 
sented as follows: Melania 1, Vivipara 1, Bythinella 3, 
Limnaea 4, Myxas 1, Ameria 4, Isidorella 2, Planorbis 3, 
Segmentina 1, Ancylus 2, Gundlackia 1, Corbicula 1, SpJiae- 
riiim 2, Pisidium 1, Hyridella 2, Propehyridella 3, Proto- 
liyridella 1, together with varieties in Ameria (7) and Isi- 
dorella (3). In comparison with other States, Victoria has 
few species, but I consider that when our lagoons, rivers and 
lakes are thoroughly explored additional species will he 
found. 
Through the courtesy of the Director of the National 
Museum, I have had the Museiun collection at my disposal, 
together with the collections of the late W. Kershaw, T. 
Worcester, J. H. Young, F. L. Billinghurst, and several 
others. 
Earliest in the field were the French naturalists, Quoy and 
Gaimard, who, under the name of Paludina buccinoides, 
described and figured one of our smallest species (now known 
as Bythinella buccinoides) collected as dead shells in 
brackish swamps at Westernport. This mollusc is abundant 
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