EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



109 



thin epidermis; body whorl sharply spinose; 

 lower portion of body irtiorl spirally stri- 

 ate; anterior extremity truncated. Length 

 4 inches. 



A very abundant and well-known 

 shell. It is especially characterized by 

 the liratlon of the outer lip. The zigzag 

 pattern is more frequent in northern speci- 

 mens. West Indian examples usually are of 

 a uniform color. A freak specimen is shown 

 on PI. 58, Fig. 3 



PI. 39, Fig, 7 



Florida to Texas; West Indies 



STROMBUS PUGILIS ALATUS Gmelin. Winged 

 Stromb, This, the spineless form, appears 

 to be more common in Florida and the An- 

 tilles. , 



The example figured is from the 

 Pliocene fossil beds at Loxahatchee, Flori- 

 da. 



PI. 39, Fig. 4 



North Carolina to Florida; Gulf of 



Mexico 



STROMBUS CALLUS Linne. Cock Stromb. Nota- 

 ble for the remarkable extension of the 

 aperture which is clearly shown in the il- 

 lustration. The species is included for 

 comparison with the Florida species, 



PI, 59, Fig, 5 



West Indies 



Family Qvulidae 



Shell brightly colored, usually 

 long and narrow, conforming in hue and shape 

 to the foreign object to which it is at- 

 tached. All the American species live upon 

 Gorgonias or sea fans. 



GENUS CYPHOMA Roeding 1798 



CYPHOMA GIBBOSA Linne. Spire of shell en- 

 tirely concealed under a heavy callus, sol- 

 id, narrower above; aperture full length of 

 shell, contracted above, wider below; outer 

 lip thick, smooth inside and out, arched 

 above where there is a slight canal; dorsal 

 ridge slightly above center and extending 

 squarely across it; suggestion of canal at 

 base; color whitish, the extremities and 

 sides of shell buff or cream color. Length 

 1 inch. 



Living examples have been taken in 

 Lake Worth, Florida and also in Biscayne 

 Bay. 



PI. 40, Fig. 1, PI. 28, Fig. 2. 

 North Carolina to West Indies 



GENUS SIMNIA "Leach" Rlsso 1826 



SIMNIA ACICULARIS Lamarck. Shell varying 

 from yellow to purple, thin, smooth, narrow, 

 ends rather blunt; lip evenly margined; cal- 

 lous margin on columella. Length 15 mm. 



This and the following Simnia match 

 in color the sea fans to which they may be 

 attached, 



PI. 40, Fig. 2 



Off Cape Fear, North Carolina to 



West Indies 



SIMNIA UNIPLICATA Sowerby. Shell yellowish 

 white to purplish in color, rather thin; 

 polished; transversely and minutely incised 

 with lines; narrow, with ends bluntly pro- 

 duced; lip narrowly margined; posterior pli- 

 cations prominent. Length 15-18 mm, 



PI, 40, Fig, 3 



North Carolina to West Indies 



Family Cypraeidae 



Shell varying from cylindrical to 

 pyriform, inflated, ribbed, or pustulate 

 but generally smooth and covered with bril- 

 liant enamel; aperture elongated, narrow, 

 more or less toothed; short canal at each 

 end. 



The young Cypraea is quite differ- 

 ent from the adult. It begins in a Bulla- 

 llke form, thin and with an unfinished lip; 

 In the adolescent stage there is some thick- 

 ening of the shell but the teeth are indis- 

 tinctly formed. Upon reaching maturity the 

 final color pattern is applied. The mantle 

 of the animal almost completely covers the 

 shell when active, and deposits the calcare- 

 ous substance which distinguishes the vari- 

 ous species. When the two unequal lobes of 

 the mantle meet upon the back of the shell 

 they form the "dorsal line," an area quite 

 noticeable upon many Cypraea. 



The animal Is shy and often feeds 

 upon coral animals. It has the power to 

 dissolve the interior partitions of the 

 shell when more space is desired. 



The Cypraeas, or cowries as they 

 are commonly called, are favorites with 

 sliell collectors. In India they are used 

 for various trappings upon elephants and 

 horses, Cypraea moneta, the money cowry, 

 has been used for centuries as a medium of 



