VENERIDAE 407 



Genus Chione Miihlfeld 1811 



Shells trigonal or ovate; thick; 3 cardinal teeth in each valve; no anterior 

 laterals; pallial sinus small and triangular; inner margins crenulated; lunule 

 bounded by an indented line; escutcheon smooth and bounded by a small 

 ridge. 



Subgenus Chione s. str. 

 Chiojie cancellata Linne Cross-barred Venus 



Plate 39h 



North Carolina to Florida, Texas and the West Indies. 



I to I % inches in length, varying from ovate to subtriangular in shape, 

 thick; with strong, raised, curved, leaf-like, concentric ribs and numerous 

 coarse radial ribs. Escutcheon long, smooth and V-shaped, commonly with 

 6 to 7 brown, zebra-stripes. Lunule heart-shaped, with minute vertical 

 threads. Color externally is white to gray; internally glossy-white with a 

 suffusion of purplish blue. A very common, shallow-water species in Florida. 

 Beachworn specimens have a cancellate sculpturing. The subspecies mazycki 

 Dall, off the Carolinas, Georgia and northeast Florida has a beautiful rosy 

 interior. 



Chione intapurpurea Conrad Lady-in-waiting Venus 



Plate 39g 



North Carolina, the Gulf States to the West Indies. 



1 to I ^ inches both ways, thick, glossy-white to cream; interior white, 

 commonly with a violet, radial band or splotch at the posterior third. Ex- 

 terior with crowded, smooth, low, rounded, concentric ribs. The lower 

 edge of these ribs bears many small bars which are Imed up one below the 

 other to give the shell the impression that it has axial ribs. The concentric 

 ribs become sharp and higher at the shell's extreme ends. Lunule with 

 raised lamellations; escutcheon with very fine, transverse lines. Uncommon. 

 Incorrectly spelled interpurpurea. 



Chione califomiensis Broderip Common Californian Venus 



Plate 31) 



San Pedro to northern South America. 



2 to 2 % inches high, a little longer, subtrigonal, moderately compressed, 

 with sharp, raised, concentric ribs whose edges turn upwards, and with low, 

 rather wide, rounded, radial riblets. Lunule heart-shaped and striated; es- 

 cutcheon V-shaped in cross-section, long and smooth. The dorsal posterior 

 end of the right valve is not as smooth and overlaps the left valve. Exterior 



