84 



EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



EPITONIUM CENTIQDADRA Morch, Shell white, 

 thin, surface decussated by fine growth 

 lines and spiral striae, the latter alter- 

 nating in size; eight whorls, ten to eleven 

 varices. Length 15 mm. 



PI. 32, Fig. 13 



Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 



EPITONIUM CLATHRUS Linn6. Trellis Stair- 

 case. Shell pyramidal, eleven varices on 

 each whorl, distant and subexpanded at su- 

 ture, oblique on apical whorls; aperture 

 oval; varices white but spaces between un- 

 iformly yellow or spotted with that color, 

 bands when present blackish. Length 10- 

 27 mm. 



PI. 32, Fig. 19 



Palm Beach, Florida, to West Indies 



EPITONIUM EBURNEUM Potiez and Michaud. 

 Ivory Staircase. Shell thin, delicate; 

 twelve to thirteen erect, sharp varices; 

 whorls nine, very convex, separated; suture 

 well defined; color yellowish white. Length 

 20 mm. 



PI. 38, Figs. 2, Br 



Palm Beach, Florida, to West Indies 



EPITONIUM FRAGILIS Gray. Frail Staircase. 

 Shell minute, imperforate; about twelve 

 varices; nucleus glassy, bulbous, consist- 

 ing of three to five whorls; five addition- 

 al rounded, regular whorls; suture well im- 

 pressed; color white. Length 4.5-6 mm. 



PI. 32, Fig. 15 



Palm Beach and Punta Rassa, Florida 



EPITONIUM DENTICULATUM Sowerby. Toothed 

 Staircase. Shell pyramidal; minutely spi- 

 rally striated; varices numerous and with 

 tooth-like angle on each varii near suture. 

 Length 7 mm. 



One fresh beach shell has been re- 

 ported from Sanibel. 



PI. 40, Fig. 17 



Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; 



west Florida; West Indies 



EPITONIUM HUMPHREYSII Kiener (S. sayana 

 Dall) . Humphrey's Staircase. Spaces be- 

 tween the ribs polished smooth and with oc- 

 casional faint microscopic spiral striae. 

 The largest specimen examined by Dall had 

 nine whorls and was 18 mm. in length. 



PI. 32, Fig. 6 



PI. 69, Fig. 10 



Massachusetts to Texas 



EPITONIUM KREBSII Morch. Kreb's Staircase. 

 Umbilicate, but narrowly so; surface pol- 

 ished; spiral striations irregularly placed; 

 color white, often light yellowish above 

 center of whorls; five to six convex whorls 

 which are hardly Joined; varices ten, 

 slightly toothed near suture. Length 7 mm. 



PI. 32, Fig. 5 



Boynton, Florida to West Indies 



EPITONIUM LINEATUM Say. Shell white, 

 whorls eight, sixteen to eighteen delicate 

 ribs; upon the last whorl an encircling 

 raised line and one or more brown bands; 

 strong rounded lip; umbilicus absent. 



It is a rather variable shell, es- 

 pecially with respect to the number of ribs. 

 Length 12 mm. 



PI. 32, Fig. 3 



Vineyard Sound to Gulf of Mexico 



EPITONIUM MITCHELLI Dall. Shell yellowish 

 white with basal area and band above the 

 periphery dark reddish brown; thin; numer- 

 ous spiral ridges crossed by about eighteen 

 distant vertical threads; base bordered by 

 a low keel, imperforate; aperture higher 

 than wide; decollate shell showing eight 

 whorls, possibly three to four lost. Length 

 36 mm. 



The finest shallow water Epitoniiam 

 on the Gulf coast. 



PI. 32, Fig. 14 



Matagorda Island, Texas 



EPITONIUM MULTISTRIATA Say. Apex pointed, 

 pale glassy few-whorled nucleus, followed 

 by a few faintly sculptured turns, varices 

 becoming close and flattened over strong 

 spiral sculpture; one to two varices may be 

 distinctly larger upon the final whorl; 

 aperture more than one quarter length of 

 entire shell. Length 12 mm. 



Stimpson collected this species at 

 Beaufort, North Carolina and reported the 

 animal as "hyaline bluish white, spotted 

 with opaque white, the tentacles very slen- 

 der and front edge of foot double." 



PI. 32, Figs. 11, 18 



Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts to 



Florida Keys 



EPITONIUM PERMODESTUM Dall. Length 38 mm. 

 PI. 32, Fig. 17 

 North Carolina to West Indies 



