NO. 2217. THE GENUS EPITONIUM AND ITS ALLIES— DALL. 477 



EPITONIUM LAGUNARUM. new species. 



Shell small, thin, white, with six rounded whorls exclusive of the 

 (lost) nucleus; varices 16, low, narrow, widely spaced, passing over 

 the entire whorl; spiral sculpture of extremely fine striae, with a 

 single thread on the periphery and a stronger one, marginating the 

 imperforate base, on which the suture is laid; aperture obliquely 

 ovate, the margin slightly produced in front and near the suture. 

 Length, 7.5; diameter, 3.5 mm, U. S. Nat. Mus. Cat. No. 253024. 

 Range, Laguna Beach, California, J. J. Wliite. 



New section PICTOSCALA Dall. 



In spite of the numerous sections proposed by M. de Boury, ho 

 does not seem to have designated one to receive shells of the type of 

 Scalaria lineata Say, 1822 (not of Kiener, 1838). These forms have 

 a more or less dark colored body with a feebly developed basal disk, 

 fine spiral striation, rather numerous small varices, and a few irregu- 

 larly distributed very much heavier varices, including the terminal 

 one. A single species of this group occurs at Panama. In allusion 

 to the coloration I propose Pictoscala for these forms. 



EPITONIUM (PICTOSCALA) PURPURATUM, new species. 



Shell small, dark purple, with seven well-rounded whorls, exclusive 

 of the (lost) nucleus; minor varices linear, low, about 18 in number, 

 major varices one or two, white and conspicuous; spiral sculpture 

 extremely fine striae visible under magnification; base rounded, 

 imperforate, the disk feebly marked; aperture ovate, the thickened 

 margin nearly or quite interrupted over the body. Length, 10; 

 diameter, 4.5 mm. U. S. Nat. Mus. Cat. No. 252242. Range, beach 

 at Old Panam.a, Doctor MacDonald. 



Epitonium {Cirsotremal) montereyense Dall, 1907, has 11 varices 

 and ranges from Monterey to San Pedro, California. 



The subgenus Sthenorytis Conrad, 1862, contains some of the m.ost 

 noble species of this family both recent and fossil. Stenorhytis Coss- 

 mann, 1912, is synonymous. Pseudosthenorytis Sacco. 1891, does not 

 seem to differ materially. Only one species is yet known from the 

 Pacific coast, S. turhinum Dall, 1908, from 300 fathoms, near the 

 Galapagos Islands. It has 10 varices. 



Coming now to the group which has no spiral sculpture, often 

 referred to Clatlirus Oken, 1815, and called by De Boury Nitidoscala 

 in 1908, we find the Pacific coast well supplied with species. The 

 most conspicuous of the northern ones is E. indianorum Carpenter, 

 1865, which has 12 to 13 varices and ranges from Forrester Island, 

 Alaska, south to Todos Santos Bay, Lower Cahfornia. 



A similar but more slender shell, with usually 11 or 12 varices and 

 a narrow, purple brown line in front of the suture, is E. tinctum Car- 

 penter, 1865. I consider the species quite distinct from indianorum 



