130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 109 



Cancellaria (Admete?) middendorffiana Dall, 1886, vol. 9. p. 297. 

 Cancellaria middendorffiana Dall, 1902, vol. 24, p. 516, pi. 38, fig. 6. 

 Admete couthouyi Oldroyd, 1927, pt. 1, p. 157, pi. 16, fig. 2. — Grant and Gale, 1931, 

 p. 622.— Morris, 1952, p. 144, pi. 30, fig. 11. 



Five living specimens were collected: 1 (14.5 by 8 mm.) at Eluitkak 

 Pass; 1 (15.4 by 8.9 mm.) at 162 feet; 1 (17.3 by 9.9 mm.) at 295 feet; 

 and 2 (14 by 7.8 mm., and 14 by 7.9 mm.) at 341 feet. Two empty 

 shells were taken: 1 (18.8 by 11.9 mm.) at 80 feet (Aug. 21, 1948); and 

 1 (9.9 by 6.6 mm.) at 741 feet. 



Other material examined: About 75 specimens (labeled A. mid- 

 dendorffiana) from localities ranging from Dease Inlet south to Nuni- 

 vak Island, Alaska; about 80 specimens (labeled A. couthouyi) from 

 localities ranging from the Sea Horse Islands, Alaska, to Point Loma, 

 Calif.; about 30 specimens (labeled A. couthouyi) from localities rang- 

 ing from Labrador, Newfoundland, and Maine to Massachusetts; and 

 12 specimens from Finmark and Vads0, Norway. 



Discussion: Time did not permit the exhaustive study necessary 

 for determining with absolute certainty that A. middendorffiana is 

 merely a variety or form of A. couthouyi but it is reasonably certain. 

 Grant and Gale (1931) consider A. middendorffiana a low-spired form 

 of A. couthouyi. Certainly there are many individuals that could 

 as easily be assigned to one as the other species. If these are distinct 

 species, as seems highly doubtful, then there are specimens of A. mid- 

 dendorffiana on the East Coast. A specimen from the Gulf of Maine 

 has very weak axial ribs, is somewhat tumid, and has spu*al sculpture 

 resembling that of ^. middendorffiana. Another specimen from New- 

 foundland has the short spire and tumid body of A. middendorffi- 

 ana, but with the ribbing and sph-al sculpture more closely re- 

 sembling those of A. couthouyi. SLx specimens from Labrador 

 are all characterized by weak axial ribbing, but four of them 

 have a long spire and the other two have a short spire and are some- 

 what tumid. Some of the specimens from the West Coast that are 

 labeled A. couthouyi have weak ribs, a short spu-e, and flat, spiral 

 bands with narrow interspaces. Others from the same locality have 

 the axial ribs almost lacking, a long spire, and narrow spiral cords with 

 interspaces wider than the cords. 



There are all combinations of short to long spu-es, slenderness to 

 obesity, axial ribs varying from prominent and sharp to those scarcely 

 perceptible at the sutures, and of narrow spu-al threads with wider 

 interspaces to flat, spiral bands with interspaces narrower than the 

 bands. 



Several specimens from off southern California have prominent axial 

 ribs and spiral cords that cause the shells to be nodulous. All of the 

 specimens from Norway have a long, pointed spire, and the majority 



