﻿A U R I C U L A. 



id;. 



oprrrnhn,, u,dhn„. 

 Shell iibliiuir, briefly spiral, covered with a brown 



ei)idermis: aperture elongated, margin entire 



below, inner lip plaited and callous ; outer lip 



sometimes plaited interuallj, sometimes at the 



margin ; operculum none. 

 Including Ellobium, Bolten ; Cassidula, Fcr. ; Pleco- 



trema, Adams; Alexia, Leach; Tralica, Gray; 



Mffilampus, Moutf. ; Marinula, Kiiuj. 

 The Auricula; are found in salt-marslies, on mud- 

 banks, among the roots of mangrove-trees, and at 

 the mouths of rivers, principally in tropical countries, 

 particularly tho.se of the eastern Leniisphere. China, 

 Borneo, Malacca, the Philippines, and the more 

 southern parts of Australia produce many of the 

 species. A few are found in W. Columbia and the 

 South Sea Islands. The West India Islands pro- 

 duce several well-known species. With regard to 

 the various genera into which the different forms 

 have been divided, it is probable that some of them 

 may be usefully retained, but they are difficult to 

 define, and require entire revision. 



Species 1. (Fig. ■/, h, ilus. Sowerby.) 



AuKiouL.v Mid.t:. Am-. trsl,i niaijiid, ci/Undricd, crassd, 



fpidfriiiidi y'((sc,; indnld: spird conicd, hrevi ; 



aufractihiK ,jnuin,r .rulidi.-! ; tdtuno cylindrU'n, 



I'/ri, Jiat'rnUt.-r uiucai-(C''!--'>. rade stijjrd iitfraqiie 



graiioso ; apcrturd eloncjatd, aurifurnii, mt'ilic 

 contracto, labia interno longitudinalitcr caUimu, 

 infra biplicato, labia externa crasso, lati; phinato, 

 cum columelld confluenti. 



MiD.\s' Auricula. Shell large, cylindrical, thick, 

 covered with a brown epidermis ; spire eouical, 

 short ; whorls sculptured in grains ; last cy- 

 lindi'ical, smooth, with a lateral varix, coarsely 

 granular above and below. Aperture elongated, 

 ear-shaped, contracted in the middle, inner lip 

 longitudinally callous, with two plaits, outer lip 

 thick, broadly flattened, confluent with columella. 



L.iMARCK. Nat. Hist. An. s. Vert. 



Valuta anris Midm. Linnreus. 



Kah. Indian Seas. 



Figui'es a and 6 represent two prevailing forms of 



this familiar shell. 



Species 2. (Fig. a, h, Mus. Brit.) 



Auricula Malchi. Aur. testd allovgo-subovatd, f.jn- 

 drrniidr fiisrii indutd, longitudinaUter riujatd: 

 ,v//(/M jirnd ih-tii, anfractibiis superne subangnlatis, 

 disfijiiirr iindusis, ad suiuram marginatis et crenu- 

 latis ; aperturd breviusculd, infra latiiisculd, colu- 

 melld bijjlicaid ; labia crassn, intus declivi. 



AIalchds's Auricula. Shell oblong-subovate, covered 

 with a brown epidermis, longitudinally wrinkled ; 

 spire produced, whorls somewhat angular above, 

 distantly nodose, bordered and crenulated ; aper- 

 ture rather short, rather broad below ; lip thick, 

 sloped within. 



MiLLEK. Chemn. Conch. Vol. IX. PI. CXXl. f. 103?. 



Hah. ? 



