THE RECENT AND FOSSIL MOLLUSKS OF THE GENUS CERITHIOPSIS FROM THE WEST COAST OF AMERICA. By Paul Bartsch, Assistant Curator, Division of Mollusks, U. S. National Museum. The first Cerithiopsis known from the west coast of America was reported by Alcide D'Orbigny in 1840 from Peru. 1 This was fol-lowed twelve years later by two additional species, discovered by Prof. C. B. Adams at Panama and described as Cerithium neglectum C. B. Adams and Triforis infrequens C. B. Adams. 2 In 1857 Dr. P. P. Carpenter published that part of his Catalogue of Mazatlan Shells which deals with the members of this genus, citing the following species: tuberculides Carpenter. sorex Carpenter. tuberculoid.es albonodosa Carpenter. convexa Carpenter. cerea Carpenter. decussata Carpenter. pupiformis Carpenter. assimilata C. B. Adams. Of these, C. convexa is now placed in the genus Metaxia. C. decussata is a Bittium, and Cerithiopsis assimilata Carpenter = Cerithium assimilatum C. B. Adams must be referred to the genus Seila. In 1865 Doctor Carpenter described Cerithiopsis intercalaria 3 and at the same time referred Cerithium bimarginatum C. B. Adams to this genus. At present both of these species are placed in the genus Eumeta. In the Supplementary Report on the Present State of Our Knowledge with Regard to the Mollusca of the West Coast of America 4 Doctor Carpenter published a terse diagnosis of the following species: Cerithiopsis columna. Cerithiopsis purpurea. Cerithiopsis munita. Cerithiopsis fortior. All of these were later more fully described. Three of them, C. munita, C. purpurea, and C. fortior, are now placed in the genus Bittium. In 1867 De Folin added another species, 5 Cerithium destrugesi, which may not belong to our fauna, as the locality is cited as Panama or Negritos Island. i Voy. Amer. Merid., p. 443, pi. 77, figs. 9-10. * Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist, of N. Y., 1852, pp. 379-80. a Proc. Zool. Soc, 1865, p. 281. * Rep. Brit. Ass. Adv. Sci. for 1863, published in 18C4. « Les Meleagrinicoles, p. 71, pi. 6, fig. 12. Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 40— No. 1823. 327
BioStor
