116 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM tol. loo 



numbers of the shells, stating that USNM 40979 is the type of B. 

 malleatus and this number was cataloged as the type. Actually, the 

 shell that he figured is USNM 15170. The shell labeled the type is 

 a 7-sided form similar to the figure of B. stimpsoni in Oldroyd (1927, 

 pt. l,pl. 21,fig. 2). 



I believe that B. malleatus is only a variety of B. stimpsoni. In 

 his original description of B. stimpsoni, Gould wrote: "shell large, 

 solid, elongate, . . . whorls 6 to 8+, pyramidal, pentagonal, the last 

 anteriorly excavated, at which place the spiral ribs terminate in a 

 wave (carina)," Examination of many specimens reveals that the 

 shells may be from 5-sided to 7-sided. 



In his original description of B. malleatus, Dall compares it with 

 Beringius heringi (Middendorff), stating that the shell is "long 

 and slender," has "few large (generally only five) transverse ribs, 

 between which the space is nearly flat rather than concave, and a 

 sharp carina on the anterior periphery of the last whorl, on which 

 the suture is laid." 



Examination of specimens of both B. stimpsoni and var. malleatus 

 shows that the fewer the ribs the flatter the surface between them, 

 but there is always a certain amount of excavation even in shells with 

 the fewest number of sides (see pi. 13, fig. 1). This excavation is 

 evident also in the figure by Oldroyd (1927, pi. 22, fig. 5). Dall 

 speaks of a dark purple color in connection with B. malleatus, but 

 examination shows that some specimens are brown and others are 

 nearly ash colored. Gould speaks of an ash-colored or pale rust shell, 

 with pale ash-colored or leaden-colored throat in B. stimpsoni. 



The dead specimen mentioned above from 125 feet is very similar 

 to that figured by Dall for the type specimen of B. malleatus except 

 that in the latter there is no carina on the last whorl, the ribs simply 

 terminating at the periphery. In the shell from the MacGinitie 

 collection there is a definite carina at the termination of the ribs 

 and the shell is somewhat excavated both anteriorly and posteriorly 

 (between the ribs) to it (see pi. 13, fig. 1). In both shells the last 

 whorl is 5-sided. In the MacGinitie shell the penultimate whorl 

 is only 4-sided, lending a definite squarish appearance to the shell, 

 but even on this whorl the space between the ribs is not exactly flat. 

 One of the postnuclear whorls is 6-sided. The shell is heavy and 

 brown, with at least 7 whorls. It can be referred to B. stimpsoni 

 var. malleatus. 



The 60.4 mm. specimen from 522 feet has 6 sides on the last whorl 

 and 7 on the penultimate whorl, and the space between the ribs, 

 or "waves," is concave (pi. 13, fig. 2). There are 5.5 whorls, including 

 the nucleus. The shell is ash colored, but reddish brown where worn, 

 and the throat is a leaden brown. The spiral sculpturing is the same 



