EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



81 



Family Phaslanellidae 



GENUS PHASIANELLA Lamarck 1804 

 (PHEASANT SHELLS) 



Shell generally imperforate; epi- 

 dermis lacking; surface porcellanous, usu- 

 ally polished and varied with brilliant 

 color patterns; operculum shelly, solid, 

 externally white and convex. 



PHASIANELLA TESSELLATA Potiez and Michaud. 

 Checkered Pheasant. Whorls four to five, 

 the last large and bluntly angled at 

 periphery; apex blunt; columella with white 

 callus; umbilical area excavated, often 

 perforate; color white, yellow or red, 

 clouded with white, red or brown; encircled 

 with narrow orange or red lines. Length 

 5 . 5 mm. 



This shell lives at low-tide mark 

 upon seaweed attached to rocks. It is 

 rather frequent at Palm Beach, Florida and 

 for some distance southward. 



PI. 29, Fig. 18 



Florida and West Indies 



PHASIANELLA AFFINIS C. B. Adams. Often 

 found associated with P. tessellata this 

 shell differs in the possession of close 

 and regular punctations of pink or orange 

 and white instead of the encircling lines, 

 suture also more impressed; apex acute and 

 rose color. Length 8 mm. 



PI. 29, Fig. 19 



Florida and West Indies 



PHASIANELLA UMBILICATA Orbigny. Whorls 

 five, very convex, sutures deeply impressed; 

 umbilicus narrow but distinct; shell white 

 with red punctations and longitudinal 

 flames of red and white. Length 5 mm. 



PI. 29, Fig. 20 



Florida and Cuba 



PHASIANELLA BELLA Pilsbry (P. pulchella 

 C. B. Adams). Pretty Pheasant. A very 

 small shell, usually less strongly angular 

 than the example figured. Often the angles 

 are absent altogether but the general form 

 and absence of gloss are the same. Length 

 2.5 mm . 



PI. 31, Fig. 20 



Biscayne Bay to Florida Keys 



Family Turbinidae 



Shell top- or pyramid-shaped; in- 

 terior nacreous; marine, feeding upon sea- 

 weeds; exterior brilliantly pearly beneath 

 the epidermis. Many of the shells are used 

 for ornamental purposes. 



GENUS TURBO Linne 1758 (WHIPPING TOP) 



The diversity of form is consider- 

 able. Juvenile shells are not keeled so 

 strongly and the spines when present are 

 differently arranged. Operculum calcareous. 



TURBO CASTANEUS Gmelin. Chestnut Top. 

 Shell orange, brown, or gray, often banded 

 with flame-like white spots; suture partly 

 channelled; whorls five to six with numer- 

 ous spiral lines; aperture white, heavy 

 callus upon columella. Length 30 mm. 



Not infrequent upon grasses in shal- 

 low water of the Florida Keys. Range 0-25 

 fathoms. 



PI. 31, Fig. 11 



North Carolina to West Indies; Gulf 



of Mexico 



TURBO CASTANEUS CRENULATUS Gmelin. Ribs 

 provided with less conspicuous tubercles. 

 North Carolina to West Indies 



TURBO SPENGLERIANUS Gmelin. Shell large, 

 imperforate, white, spotted with brown, 

 spire sharp, whorls six to seven, rounded; 

 sutures widely channelled; seventeen smooth 

 encircling ribs, as wide or wider than the 

 spaces between; aperture white, outer lip 

 sharp, broad white callus reflected over 

 axis and below umbilicus, callus also ex- 

 tending upon inner wall. Length 2.5 inches. 



Operculum pale brown inside, three 

 to four whorls, exterior white and convex. 



PI. 40, Fig. 14 



Gulf of Mexico and West Indies 



GENUS ASTRAEA Roeding 1798, Astralium 

 Link 1807 (STAR SHELLS) 



ASTRAEA LONGISPINA Lamarck. Long-Spined 

 Star. Shell low, almost flat below; whorls 

 six to seven; periphery sharply keeled, 

 with strong triangular flatted spines which 

 extend over the suture almost to apex of 



