Marine Shells of New Zealand 
ACMAEA CANTHARUS (aknie, a point; kantharos, a 
shallow two-handled tankard, a pot).—A small oval limpet, 
about half an inch in length, with a thin, comparatively 
smooth sheli, having the apex, which is a hooked beak, 
situated in the anterior or front quarter. The front of the 
shell has a concave slope, and the posterior, or hind slope, 
is a convex one. The sculpture, or external moulding, 
though more often than not obscured by incrustation, con- 
sists of fine concentric growth lines and fine striz (liter- 
ally, scratched lines) radiating from the apex; these can 
only be seen with a good lens. In colour the shell is brown- 
ish, flecked with white, and the interior is “light blue, 
occasionally light brown; central area chestnut brown, the 
sharp margin often banded or dotted with yellowish brown.” 
(Suter). 
Found at Oamaru; Dunedin; Preservation Inlet; Herne 
Bay, Auckland Harbour. 
Note.—Although this Acmaea has been given a specific 
name, it is recognised now as the juvenile form of Acmaea 
Pileopsis. In collecting shells it is always advisable to 
procure a fair number of them, as the colour variation is 
likely to prove confusing if you content yourself with a 
pair only. For instance, in twenty-seven specimens of the 
Acmaea Cantharus which I obtained from small and 
sheltered rock pools near high-water mark at Herne Bay, 
there were only three out of that number that were really 
blue internally; the others were of an indeterminate blue, 
one a bluish white, and the remaining twenty ranged from 
yellowish browns and light browns to purplish browns. 
The marginal bands also showed considerable variety, the 
blue interior being bordered with black, the others being 
for the most part parti-coloured. 
ACMAEA DAEDALA (akme, a point; Daedalus, a 
mythical Greek sculptor).—A small oval limpet of a pale 
yellowish colour, marked with a network of fine brown 
lines. The apex is pointed and curved forward. The 
11 
Plate V 
No. 9 
Sea Shells 
of New Zealand 
