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Volume 58, 1928
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Explanation Of Plate.

Fig, 1.—Notoplax (Amblyplax) foveauxensis Ashby. Foveaux Strait; anterior valve, showing narrow insertion and sharp teeth. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 2.—Craspedochiton joubertensis Ashby. Dgd. off. Cape Joubert, Northern Australia; holotype anterior valves, showing broad, festooned and fluted insertion plate, for comparison with Fig. 1, which has wrongfully been placed in the same genus. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 3.—Tonicia elegans Fremb. Chili. Anterior valve for comparison with Fig. 9, which has been wrongfully assigned to the same genus. Showing narrow insertion plate, highly pectinated and laminated, and scattered eye pits, visible in tegmentum. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 4.—Acanthochiton thileniusi Thiele. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, anterior valve. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 5.—Acanthochiton thileniusi Thiele. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, median valve. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 6.—Acanthochiton thileniusi Thiele. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, tail valve. Ashby Coll. X6.

Fig. 7.—Acanthochiton doubtlessensis Ashby. Doubtless Bay. Holotype, tail valve, showing small tegmentum and lateral extension of insertion plate and sutural laminae. Ashby Coll. X7.

Fig. 8a—Pseudotonicia cuneata Suter. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, half median valve, showing longitudinal and cuneiform grooving. Ashby Coll. X7.

Fig. 8b—Pseudotonicia cuneata. Same valve as 8a, X about 5.

Fig. 9.—Pseudotonicia cuneata Suter. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, anterior valve, showing broad insertion plate, sharp teeth, 4 slits. Ashby Coll. X about 5.

Fig. 10.—Pseudotonicia cuneata Suter. Tauranga Harb. Plesiotype, tail valve, 7 slits. Ashby Coll. X about 5.

Fig. 11.—Acanthochaton brookesi Ashby. (?) Auckland. Holotype, median valve, showing longitudinal grooving in dorsal area. Ashby Coll. X7.

Fig. 12.—Acanthochiton brookesi Ashby. (?) Auckland Harb. Holotype, tail valve, showing rounded shape, large size of valve, very large tegmentum, posterior insertion plate narrow and notched. Ashby Coll. X7.

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“Classification Discussed” the shell referred to by Iredale and others under the name Craspodochiton rubiginosus is shown to have no relationship with that genus, which up to the present is not represented in the Dominion by any known species. A photograph of the insertion-plate of the anterior valve of Craspodochiton joubertensis Ashby, is figured; it suggests no affinity with the family Acanthochi-tonidae; instances are given demonstrating the unwisdom of treating as of generic value purely superficial characters.

The whole of the New Zealand representatives of the subfamily Acanthochitoninae are placed under the following genera and subgenera.

Genus Acanthochiton Gray.

Genus Notoplax H. Adams.

Subgenus Loboplax Pilsbry.

Subgenus Amblyplax Ashby.

Provisional genus Lophoplax Ashby.

Genus Cryptoconchus Burrow.

The fact that the law of priority, as applied to generic names, does not apply to Ordinal or Family names is pointed out, and reference is made to Article 5 (Int. Rules) which reads: “The name of a family or subfamily is to be changed when its type genus is changed.” Obviously the genus Acanthochites Risso. is the type genus of the group referred to in the said paper, and the author considers that Iredale has advanced no valid reason for the establishment of his family name Cryptoconchidae. Under Article 5 quoted above and Article 4, on changing the generic name of Risso. Acanthochites 1826, to that of Acanthochiton Gray em. 1821, which antedates it, we should change the family name to Acanthochitonidae Hedley, with the subfamily name Acanthochitoninae Ashby. On the same grounds the writer does not adopt Iredale and Hull's proposal to change the familiar ordinal name of Polyplacophora and the vernacular name of Chiton to Loricata and Loricates respectively. To adopt such a suggestion can serve no useful purpose, and is in the writer's opinion an attempt to do a distinct disservice to workers and students the world over.

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