THE RECENT AND FOSSIL MOLLUSKS OF THE GENUS ALVANIA FROM THE WEST COAST OF MIERICA. By Paul Bartsch, Assistant Curator, Division of MoUushs, U. S. National Museum. Dr. P. P. Carpenter was the first to record members of the genus Alvanla from the west coast of America. In his Catalogue of Mazatlan Shells ^ we find fAlvania excurvata, Alvania effusa, and Alvania tumida described as new. In the same work occurs ?Rissoa lirata Carpenter, which is now placed in the genus Alvania. In the following year Doctor Carpenter's Report on the Present State of our Knowledge with Regard to the MoUusca of the West Coast of America was published. ^ In this he refers the species described by Prof. C. B. Adams ^ as Cingula (?) inconspicua, C. {?) terehellum, and C. {?) turrita doubtfully to Alvania. This decision he changed in 1863,* when he referred all three to the Pyramidellidae. They are all Odostomias. The next to contribute to our knowledge of Alvania was O. A. L. Morch, who described Alvania perlata from the west coast of Central America.^ This was followed four years later by Rissoa now Alvania albolirata Carpenter ^ and Diala electrina Carpenter,^ which is also an Alvania. In volume 14 of the same publication, also printed in 1864, Alvania reticulata Carpenter and Alvania filosa Carpenter will be found described on page 429. The following year Weinkauft* rechristened Carpenter's Alvania reticulata Alvania carpenteri, A. reticulata Carpenter being preoccu-pied by Turho (= Alvania) reticidatus Montagu. The same year Doctor Carpenter published Rissoa compacta,^ which is also an Alvania. 1 Pages 359-360, 1856. 6 Mai. Blatt., vol. 7, 1860, p. 68. 2 Rep. Brit. Ass. Adv. Sci. for 1856, published in 1857. « Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, vol. 13, 1864, p. 477. 3 Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., vol. 5, 1852, pp. 405-406. ' Idem, p. 478. * Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1863, pp. 353-354. 8 proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1865, p. 62. Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 41, No. 1863. 333
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