Some Upper Eocene mollusca from New Zealand

Abstract

Ten new species of Mollusca are described from Kaiatan (Upper Eocene) beds at McCullough's Bridge, South Canterbury, and Lome, North Otago. These include the first New Zealand records of Pseudomalaxis and Colubraria. Species of Condylocardia, Pareora, Opimilda, Mathildona, Fimbriatella, and Cheilea are also described, and a brief review of New Zealand species of the Mathildidae is included. Notogrammatodon, a new subgenus of Pseudogrammatodon (Arcidae), is proposed, with P. (Notogrammatodon) inexpectalus n. sp. as type. Eosirius (with type E. admeteformis n. sp.) is proposed as a new genus of the Trichotropidae. Both these groups appear to have representatives in the Australian Tertiary. The type of Architectonica ngaparaensis Suter 1917 is refigured, is shown to be most probably from McCullough's Bridge, and is referred to the genus Wangaloa. The type of Streptosiphon (Streptopelma) reticulatum Suter 1917 proves to be Awamoan (Lower Miocene), not Kaiatan as usually assumed; it is referred to Trichosirius (Miplioderma) and is considered to include Trichosirius finlayi Laws 1935 as a synonym. The type of Columbarium maorum Marshall and Murdoch 1923 is shown to be from McCullough's Bridge, not Pukeuri as originally stated. Parasyrinx finlayi Allan 1926, the type of Tahusyrinx Powell, is a synonym.