Strophiops helena Maynard, 1914

Original Description

A SPECIES OF LAND SHELL OF THE FAMILY CERIONIDAE REDESCRIBED.

By CHARLES J. MAYNARD

 

In my descriptions of some species of Cerionidae from the Bahama Islands I said that it seemed best to consider the shell which occurred in the vicinity of Fort Charlotte, near Nassau, New Providence, and which I had named Strophia carlotta, as the Pupa glans of Kuester (see RECORDS Vol. V. page 192). In so doing I left the species of Strophia which occurs on Andros Island, and which I had hitherto considered as the true S.glans, without a name. Thus I now re­describe it.

 

STROPHIOPS HELENA.

Helen's Stophia.

Strophia glans Mayn., Contributions to Science, Vol. II. 1894, p. 156.

Fig. 8; A, B, C, D.

Shell rather small, .92 by .43 ; oval-cy­lindrical; whorls, 9, costate, ribs 26 on pe­nultimate whorl, polished; aperture, rather small, semicircular above; margin, grooved in adult shells, but rarely duplicated even in senescence; callus, prominant but not sharp­ened.; parietal tooth, large and pyramidical; columella tooth, small and inconspicuous; color, decidedly bluish-white with a more or less conspicuous line of purplish extending from the lower (left) corner of the aperture partly around ultimate whirl beneath the umbilicus; aperture and margin, pale-brown darkening about the parietal tooth, but this is white in strong contrast with the dark color surrounding it. Examined 1000 specimens.

For variations produced by the usual parallel development, see forthcoming Mon­ograph of the Cerionidae.

Habitat, fields directly south of Fresh Creek, Andros.

While it is yet too early to even specu­late upon the ancestral origin of the Andros Strophias, as we know little or nothing of fossil species from that island, it is very ob­vious that the species now living there have no close phylogenetic relationship to any spe­cies found at present on New Providence.  I have named this intersting species in honor of Mrs. Nellie A. Clapp who has be­come an enthusiastic student of the Cerion­idae and who has made many valuable dis­sections of a number of species in the family with painstaking care, skill, and patience which have rarely been excelled by anyone, in any group of mollusks.

 

Actual date of publication of this sheet, Aug 18, 1914.

Fig.8. STROPHIOPS HELENA: A, front. B, side view of type; c, front of aperture of type enlarged x 2; D, margin of senes­cent specimen x 2.

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