Sea Shel 
of New 
Is 
Zealand 
Plate Jil 
No. 15-15a. 
Plate IIT 
No, 16-16a. 
glass. The shellfish are eaten by Maoris, but are considered 
too muddy in flavour by the fastidious European. 
Most estuaries in New Zealand. Tauranga Harbour. 
SIPHONARIA OBLIQUATA (siphonaria, having a 
siphon; obliquata, oblique).—A large limpet, one and a-half 
inches long by one inch wide, with the siphonal groove well 
shown on the right side, and the apex towards the rear 
of the shell and slightly to the left of the middle line. 
There are about twenty or twenty-five bifurcating ribs, 
though usually the shell is heavily incrusted and the sculp- 
ture obscured; the ribs are often seen forming a narrow 
variegated band on the outer side round the margin. In- 
ternally the colouring is light brown or flesh colour to 
orange in recent specimens ; in older specimens it may be 
described as light brown marbled with buff and dark brown 
patches, blending with milky blues and whites; the inner 
margin shows a paler band, dark at the extreme edge, and 
dotted with white, the whole surface highly glazed. Alto- 
gether the interior has the appearance of very choice 
Whielden pottery. The reason this species, although hav- 
ing such a strong superficial resemblance to limpets, is not 
classed with the Patellidae, is due to the animal having a 
very much higher anatomical organisation, shown chiefly 
in the breathing apparatus. 
Cook Strait; Banks Peninsula; Sumner; Dunedin; 
Chatham and Auckland Islands. 
SIPHONARIA ZEALANDICA (siphonaria, having a 
siphon; New Zealand).—A small limpet, about three- 
quarters of an inch long, with a deep siphonal groove on 
the interior, which shows externally as an extra large bifur- 
cating rib, It is on the right side, and projects conspicu- 
ously beyond the margin. The sculpture consists of prim- 
ary ribs reaching from the margin to the apex, which is 
more or less centrally situated, and secondary ribs extend- 
ing from the margin to about half-way up towards the 
apex. The colour is ash brown or grey, the ribs rather 
lighter. The interior is shining, chestnut brown or very 
dark brown, the tips of the ribs at the margin being white 
or creamy white. Margin grooved within; undulating, 
crenulated, or notched, and sharp. It is common through- 
out New Zealand, on rocks, and especially on old piles. 
There is a shell, called the Siphonaria Australis, which is 
confined to the South Island, though it has been reported 
erroneously from Tauranga. Its only claim to be consid- 
ered a variety, much less a different species, lies in the fact 
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