134 Marine Shells of the Western Coast of Florida 



Family LITTOUIMDAE 



This is a family of widely distributed, amphibious mollusks, liv- 

 ing in the littoral zone, often above high tide mark. 



The animals are remarkable for the curious foot; the plantar 

 surface of the foot is centrally divided by a longtitudinal cleft, and 

 the two sides are alternately advanced when the creature is in 

 active motion. 



Genus LITTORINA Ferrusac, 1822 

 Littorina mespillum-si' (Megerle von Miihlfeld) PI. 25, fig. 179 



Alt., 10 mm. Shell spiral, subglobose, smooth; chestnut color, 

 either unicolored or banded with darker shade; apex sharp; about 

 three convex whorls; aperture rounded, entire; outer lip simple; 

 columella rather thick, flat; shallow umbilical depression; operculum 

 corneous. 



Subgenus 3IELAKArHE (Megerle von Miihlfeld) Menke, 1828 

 Littorina angrulifera-^" (Lamarck) PI. 25, fig. 18a 



Alt., 25-30 mm. Shell thin, conic, imperforate; apex acute, 

 about six convex whorls; slightly channeled sutures; ground color 

 cream, with flammules of dark brown above and below the sutures, 

 oblique brown bands on body whorl and revolving pattern of brown 

 dashes; spiral sculpture of irregular, inequidistant engraved lines; 

 aperture rounded oval; outer lip thin, sharp, protracted above; 

 columella with central groove in lower portion; operculum corneous, 

 amber color, thin and flexible. 



Common above high tide mark on branches of mangrove trees, 

 old wharves and pilings. 



Family TURKITELLIDAE 



The shells of the Turritellidae are well described as "little tow- 

 ers," since the spire surmounts the body by many times its height. 

 Distribution of the family includes all seas. 



23"J Lat., litus, the seashore; mcs, middle; pilus, a hair. 

 -^0 Lat., angulus, angle, corner; ferre, to bear. 



