112 



EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



GENUS TONNA Brunnich 1772 



Dollum Lamarck 1801 (TUN SHELLS) 



Shell thin, globosely oval. 



TONNA GALEA Llnn6. May be distinguished by 

 the sunken sutures and somewhat twisted 

 coltimella; whorls seven; spiral ribs close 

 set; chocolate-brown markings within the 

 aperture. Length 9 Inches, usually less. 



PI. 41, Fig. 6 



Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to 



Texas; West Indies 



TONNA PERDIX Linn^. Shell 

 twenty low revolving groove 

 rather widely spaced, somet 

 the growth lines; outer lip 

 ened; umbilicus behind the 

 columella; color brownish o 

 sionally marked with white 

 4-9 inches. 



PI. 41, Fig. 7 

 Florida Keys to Bra 

 west Africa 



inflated; about 

 s which are 

 imes crossed by 

 hardly thick- 

 reflexed, curved 

 r purple, occa- 

 spots. Length 



zil; Pacific; 



GENUS FICUS Reeding 1798, Pyrula Lamarck 

 1799 (FIG SHELLS) 



Shell fig or pear shaped, spirally 

 ribbed or decussated; canal open and long; 

 spire short; lip thin; no operculum. 



Animal with very large foot; mantle 

 covering sides of shell; siphon very long 

 and narrow. 



FICUS PAPYRATIA Say. Shell brownish white, 

 interior somewhat darker; about thirty 

 spiral ribs with less distinct ones be- 

 tween; growth lines irregular; spire sun- 

 ken. Length 3.5 inches. 



On Sanibel Island, west Florida, 

 thousands of this species are washed upon 

 the ocean beach after winter storms. 



PI. 41, Fig. 8 



Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to 



Gulf of Mexico 



Family Cymatiidae 



Shell with disconnected varices, 

 representing rest periods, not more than 

 two of these to each whorl against three in 

 Murex; canal prominent; teeth upon lips. 

 These shells are closely related to Murex 

 but also show affinity to Cassis and Tonna. 



C. tritonis, the largest species. 



is used as a horn by the Australian and 

 Polynesian islanders. In the West Indies 

 and the Mediterranean live forms very sim- 

 ilar to it. 



GENUS CYMATIUM Roeding 1798, 

 Triton of authors 



CYMATIUM FEMORALE Linne. Epidermis yellow 

 brown, the strongest ribs white where 

 crossed by the varices, interior white, vi- 

 olet or rose color. Length 3-7.5 inches. 



PI. 42, Fig. 3 



Southern Florida and West Indies 



CYMATIUM AQUITILE Reeve (T. pileare L.). 

 Shell light brown with contrasting white or 

 dark revolving bands; whorls rounded, often 

 with nodules on periphery, fine and coarser 

 ridges crossed by faint ribs; canal often 

 reflexed; interior and outer lip orange or 

 red, teeth whitish, upper portion inner lip 

 often almost black; epidermis hirsute, thin 

 and light green. Length 2-6 inches. 



PI. 42, Fig. 4 



Florida Keys; West Indies; Pacific 



CYMATIUM CHLOROSTOMA Lamarck. Color dirty 

 white, varying to reddish ash, faint red or 

 brown spots and revolving cut colored lines, 

 interior reddish. Length 1-3 Inches. 



Sculpture similar to C. aquitile 

 but with stronger ribs, often humped on 

 body whorl, varices strong, outer lip ex- 

 tremely heavy and with a double row of 

 teeth within aperture. 



PI. 42, Fig. 5 



Jupiter Inlet, East Florida to West 



Indies; Pacific 



SECTION TRITONOCAUDA Dall 1904 



CYMATIUM CYNOCEPHALUM Lamarck. Light yel- 

 low with darker indistinct bands; interior 

 pale yellow; columella with brown spot. 

 Length 2-3 inches. 



PI. 42, Fig. 9 



Florida Keys; Texas; West Indies 



SECTION GUTTURIUM Morch 1852 



CYMATIUM TUBEROSUM Lamarck. Shell short; 

 canal recurved; sculptured with irregular 

 ribs which are nodulous; the interstices of 

 the ribs Urate; often a strong hump on the 

 body whorl and one or two smaller ones; out- 

 er lip varicose with teeth Inside. Color 



