Abstract
THE small island of Rurutu (Oheatora of Capt. Cook) is about 320 miles south-south-west of Tahiti; it is eight miles in length, and has an elevation of 1,500 feet, over 100 feet consisting of old coral reefs which have been upheaved to that altitude. Mr. Charles de Gage, a resident and experienced naturalist, has collected a number of land-shells, which have been studied by Mr. Andrew Garrett, and described in the Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. One of the most interesting species is Partula hyalina (Broderip), found abundantly in three groups of islands. In Tubuai, 100 miles east of Rurutu, it is abundant, and the Austral group appears to be its metropolis. It is found, though sparingly, in nearly every valley in Tahiti. It was also obtained by Mr. Garrett at Mangaia, one of the Cook's, or Hervey Islands, 400 miles west of Rurutu. The variation in examples from the three groups is remarkably slight. It is a strictly arboreal species, and has a uniform white colour.
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Land Shells of the Austral Islands . Nature 21, 108–109 (1879). https://doi.org/10.1038/021108e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/021108e0