122 Panama Shells. 



138. Murex radix. 



Synonymy. 



Favanne's D'Argenv. pi. 37. f. D. 



Murex radix Schrot. Einl. Conch. I. 548. No. 17. 1783. 



Gmel in Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 3527. No. 10. 1788. 

 melanomathos Dillw. Catal. 686. pars. 1817. 



radix Lam. An. sans Vert. VII. 168. No. 36. Aug. 1822. 



Swains. Zool. 111. 2d. ser. pi. 113. (Sub. gen. 



Centronotus.) - - - - 1823. 



Schub. et Wagn. Supp. Chem. p. 132. pi. 



230. f. 4064-5. - 1829. 



Wodarch Introd. Conch. (4th ed. Front, f. 3. 1831. 

 Valenc. in Humb. Rec. Obs. II. 299. 1833. 



Sowb. Conch. 111. Catal. No. 85. 1841. 



Kiener Iconog. p. 60. pi. 37, 38. f. 1. 

 Hanley Conch. Book Spec. p. 91. 1842. 



Lam. An. sans Vert. IX. 584. No. 36. 



(Desh. ed.) - 1843, 



Lam. An. sans Vert. III. Pt. 2. p. 707. 



No. 36. (Desh. ed. tert.) - - 1844. 



Reeve Conch. Icon. pi. 17. f. 69. June 1845. 



Chenu Lee. Elem. p. 198. f. 652. 1847. 



Perhaps to this synonymy we should add Murex ambiguus, 

 Keeve Conch. Icon. pi. 13. f. 51. Mr. Keeve remarks : " Any 

 modification of structure may, I apprehend, be considered of 

 specific importance, when it is not immediately approached on 

 either side." Conch. Icon. Murex. pi. 13. Or even if we could 

 find, in a great number of specimens, a dominant type, with 

 only occasional gradations into another type, the former might 

 be considered as of specific value. In this case, the number of 

 varices not exceeding eight, (while in M. radix they are said to 

 equal or exceed ten,) the large open flowery fronds, and the 

 elongate form, are supposed by Mr. Keeve to indicate a specific 

 type. But among our shells, the specimens, which have nine 

 varices together with an intermediate form, are much more 

 numerous than those which correspond to the description and 



