142 



EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



Family Rlnglciilldae 



GENUS RINGICDLA Deshayes 1839 



Shell solid, nearly white, aper- 

 ture channelled and notched at base; outer 

 lip thickened and often toothed or crenu- 

 lated inside; columella edge strongly cal- 

 loused with two to four folds. 



RINGICULA NITIDA Verrill. Columella edge 

 with two folds; whorls five, suture well 

 impressed; aperture crescent shaped. Length 

 4.2 mm. 



PI. 53, Fig. 16 



Bed of Gulf Stream off Florida; 



West Indies; Europe 



Family Philinidae 

 GENUS PHILINE Ascanius 1772 



Shell internal, translucent, oval, 

 spire rudimentary. Animal pale, eyeless. 



The egg capsules are arranged in a 

 single series on a long spiral thread. 



PHILINE SAGRA Orbigny. Shell minute, pale 

 yellow, finely spirally striate, exterior 

 slightly lustrous; outer lip thin, deflect- 

 ed above, crenulate below; callus upon in- 

 terior wall only discernible in center. 

 Length 4 mm. 



A single fresh example was dredged 

 by the writer in the shallow water of Lake 

 Worth, Florida, near the South Inlet. It 

 was probably washed in from the ocean. 



PI. 53, Fig. 5 



PI. 65, Figs. 16, 16a 



Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; 



Palm Beach County, Florida; West 



Indies 



Family Tethyidae (SEA PIGEONS) 



Neck and head narrower than the 

 body; mouth an upright fissure; two folded 

 lobes above head; two raised rhinophores 

 behind these, in front of which are the 

 eyes. 



Shell nearly or quite covered by 

 the mantle, a mere concave plate. 



GENDS TETHYS Linn6 1758, Aplysia of 

 Authors 



Swimming lobes and foot well de- 



veloped; shell thin with small pointed apex 

 and concave posterior sinus. 



TETHYS PROTEA Rang. Variable Tethys. Back 

 much swollen, neck slender, tails pointed, 

 foot of generous size, ring-shaped dark 

 marks scattered upon surface. Shell 3 

 inches in length. 



The variations in the color mark- 

 ings of the animal are considerable. It 

 may be sought for in protected bays and 

 tide pools. The very light shells become 

 brittle when dry and are quickly scattered 

 by the wind. 



PI. 50, Fig. 25 



Florida; Bermuda; West Indies 



TETHYS WILLCOXI Hellprin. Color of animal 

 sea-green, tinged with purple, blotched 

 and speckled with spots of lighter color. 

 Shell about 2 inches in length, internal, 

 horny-calcareous, deeply emarginate, both 

 longitudinally and transversely striated. 

 Length of animal 7-8 inches. 



It emits a brilliant crimson fluid. 

 It should be sought for at a depth of 2-3 

 feet and also upon the surface of the water. 

 A variety has more recently been discovered 

 in southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and 

 at Cape May, New Jersey. 



PI. 53, Fig. 15 



Little Gasparilla Bay to Marco, 



Florida 



ORDER PTEROPODA 



This group of animals is entirely 

 pelagic, living upon floating gulf weed and 

 essentially adapted to that environment. 

 In the tropics they may be seen in count- 

 less numbers, swimming by a vigorous flap- 

 ping of a pair of fins, upon the surface of 

 the sea. Certain of the larger forms have 

 lingual teeth and therefore may be gregari- 

 ous in spite of their small size. In the 

 north they form food for countless birds 

 and also whales. Weeds from the Gulf 

 Stream, containing the shells, are frequent- 

 ly thrown upon the Florida beaches but the 

 specimens are often somewhat damaged, the 

 delicate seines being lost. 



These organisms are allied to the 

 Gastropoda but are much lower in structure. 

 They are said to be sensitive to light, 

 heat, and perhaps odors. The true foot, 

 strictly speaking, is only rudimentary 



