170 AURICULACEA. 



apex acute, shining, black; whorls 6-7, the upper ones 

 flattened, the body whorl obtusely carinated, regularly 

 decreasing in diameter towards the base, and equaling 

 about |f the length of the shell ; aperture subvertical, nar- 

 row, rapidly widening towards its base, and equalling in 

 length about | of the entire shell ; peristome simple, acute, 

 within thickened by callus, and furnished with a rather 

 blunt, short, transverse, not very prominent lamina ; the 

 basal termination of the peristome is appressed to the 

 shell, and imperceptibly terminates in a columellar lamina 

 which ascends and winds into the aperture ; the columella 

 and parietal wall are covered with a shining callus ; there 

 are two parietal teeth, which are white, and enter into the 

 aperture of the shell, the lower one being much the small- 

 er. Internal septae absorbed. 



Greatest diameter, 5; length, 11 millimetres. 



Geographical Distribution. The only American speci- 

 mens I have seen are in my collection. 1 detected them 



/ 



among minute marine shells and sand, collected in Florida 

 by Mr. Bartlett. 



Remarks. This species is well known in cabinets by 

 specimens from the West Indian Islands, in several of 

 which it exists. Pfeiffer also refers it to the Sandwich 

 Islands. 



The shell resembles an Oliva. It is readily distinguished 

 by its polished, mahogany-colored shell. It varies less 

 than most of the Melampi. 



MELAMPUS REDFIELDI PFEIFFER. 



T. subrimata, ovata, solidula, striatula, nitidula, albida, fasciis variis 

 spadiceis plerumque interrupts subtessellata ; spira brevis, convexo- 

 eonoidea, acuta ; sutura vix impressa ; anfr. 9-10, planiusculi, ultirnus 

 | longitudinis fere formans, superne obsolete angulatus, basi attenuatus . 

 apertura vix obliqua, oblonga, supra basin subdilatata ; plicae parietales 

 2, supera major, transversa, altera approximata, dentiformis ; plica colu- 

 raellaris acuta, arcuatirn in marginem basalem continuata; perist. simplex, 



