242 American Seashells 



light-chestnut, reddish brown or dark-brown. Not so shouldered as, and less 

 coarsely sculptured than, mcgintyi. It is much stouter and not so elongate as 

 infundibulum, but like that species may have narrow, brown spiral lines or 

 threads. Moderately common in the West Indies. 



Genus Fasciolaria Lamarck 1799 

 Fasciolaria tulipa Linne True Tulip 



Plate 13b 



North Carolina to south half of Florida and West Indies. 



3 to 5 inches in length, with 2 or 3 small spiral grooves just below the 

 suture, between which the shell surface is often crinkled. Sometimes with 

 broken spiral color lines. A beautiful orange-red color variety is not un- 

 common on the Lower Keys. Common. Giants reach a length of 10 inches. 



Fasciolaria hunteria Perry Banded Tulip 



Plate 13c 



North Carolina to Florida and the Gulf States. 



2 to 4 inches in length, whorls entirely smooth near the suture. The 

 widely spaced, rarely broken, distinct, spiral, purple-brown lines are charac- 

 teristic. Albino shells are rare. A common western Florida species which 

 lives in warm, shallow areas. Formerly F. distans Lamarck, a later name. 



The subspecies braiihamae Rehder and Abbott from Yucatan to off west 

 Texas has a much longer siphonal canal and the spiral color lines are also on 

 the siphonal canal. Intergrades exist in Louisiana and Alabama. Branham's 

 Tulip is moderately common. 



Genus Pleuroploca P. Fischer 1884 

 Pleuroploca gigantea Kiener Florida Horse Conch 



Plate 13a 



North Carolina to both sides of Florida. 



Almost 2 feet in length, although usually about i foot. Outer surface 

 dirty-white to chalky-salmon, and covered with a fairly thick, black-brown 

 periostracum which flakes off in dried specimens. The young (up to about 

 3% inches) have a thinner periostracum and the entire shell is a bright orange- 

 red. A form which lacks the nodules on the last whorl was named reevei 

 Philippi 1 85 1. P. papulosa Sowerby 1825 is insufficiently described to apply 

 with any certainty to this species. 



A similar, large species, P. prmceps Sowerby (the Panama Horse Conch), 

 occurs from the Gulf of California to Ecuador. Its operculum has deep, 

 rounded grooves. Both of these Horse Conchs were previously put in the 

 genus Fasciolaria. 



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