Baker — Critical Notes on the Muricidae. 377 



be confounded with any other form. The localities for this 

 species, so tar as known, are as follows: Off Sombrero, 

 50-72 fms.; Gulf of Mexico, in 84 fms. ; Santa Cruz, in 115 

 fms., on a rocky bottom ; Saba Bank, in 150 fms. ; Montserrat, 

 in 88 fms. ; Grenada, in 92-164 fms., coral; Barbados, in 76 

 fms. ; 20-40 miles east and south of Cape Hatteras, North 

 Carolina, in 34-62 fms., sand. Dr. Win. H. Dall suggests 

 (Blake Gastropoda, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard College, 

 XVIII. no. XXIX) that Murex Tryoni Hidalgo may be a 

 young specimen of this species. From a study of the limited 

 material at my disposal I should be inclined to agree with 

 him. Neither figure nor description give any distinctive char- 

 acters which are not possessed by Gabrilii. 



Murex recurvirostris Brod. 



Murex recurvirostris Brod., Proc. Zool. Soc, p. 174, 1832; Reeve, Conch. 

 Icon., Murex, fig. 75. Murex messorius, Menke, Zeitsch., 1850. 



This group is badly mixed in Tryon's Manual, and seems 

 to be but little understood. Many of the species have very 

 close relationships, but they may, for the most part, be easily 

 recognized, and possess tangible specific characters. The 

 typical recurvirostris is a species almost wholly destitute of 

 spines, the varices are thick, and the canal nearly closed and 

 curved at the end. The color is a dark slaty-brown. The 

 species is confined to Panama. 



Murex messorius (Sowb.) Reeve. 



Murex messorius Sowb... Conch. 111., fig. 93. Reeve, Conch. Icon., Murex, 

 fig. 90, 1845. Murex Gundlachi Dunker, Malak. Blatt., p. 35, pi. 1, 

 fig. 1, 2, 1883. 



The present species is one which is seldom named correctly; 

 it is most frequently called recurvirostris and rectirostris. 

 The shell is quite stout, almost destitute of spines, with two 

 strong and a single faint intervarical rib, and is devoid of any 

 color markings, like dots or lines. The few spines are thick 

 and curved. Dr. W. H. Dall has characterized a variety 

 rubidum, from Cedar Keys, Florida, the shell being of a deep 

 pink color. The species is found from Cedar Keys, Florida, 

 to Aspinwall, Panama. 



