CASSIDARIA 



Genus Cassidaria, Lamarck. 

 Testa ovoidea, ventricosa, ad basin aUeiwata, in caualem 

 curvum,postice ascendentem, desinens, apertttrd longi- 

 tudinali, labro columellari lavi, latissime effiiso, lahro 

 eiterno rejlexo, intus crenato. Operculum corneum. 

 Shell ovoid, ventricose, attenuated at the base, ending in 

 a posteriorly ascending recurved canal, aperture 

 longitudinal, columellar lip smooth, very widely 

 effused, outer lip reflected, crenated within. Oper- 

 culum horny. 

 The genus Cassidaria is one of the very few to which 

 no species have been added since the time of Lamarck. 

 It is, indeed, reduced within narrower limits ; for whilst, 

 on the one hand, the researches of Cuming, Quoy, Belcher, 

 D'Orbigny and others, compassing the four quarters of 

 the globe, have failed to discover any new species ; the 

 Lamarckian genus has been reduced, on the other hand, 

 by the distribution of two to form the genus Oniscia, and 

 of another to the genus Triton. Three recent species only 

 remain to the genus, and it is a matter of opinion amongst 

 authors whether two of these, both inhabiting the shores 

 of the jMediterranean, are not varieties of the same specific 

 type. 



The Cassidaria diil'ers from Cassis, to which it is most 

 nearly aUied, by its oval inflated growth, projecting spire, 

 and efl'used aperture, ending in a slightly recurved canal. 

 The locality of the third species is not known. 



Species 1. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Cassidaria Tyrrhena. Cass, testa, snbpyriformi-ovatd, 

 superiw veutricosd, anfractibus liris regidaribus widique 

 crehre fanicidatis, ultimo superne angulato, ad angulum 

 compress!; nodoso, supra exiliter oblique plicate, aper- 

 turd elongato-oblongd, labris obsolete crenatis ; fulves- 

 cente-spadiced, aperturd alba. 



The Tuscan Cassidaria. Shell somewhat pyramidally 

 ovate, ventricose round the upper part, whorls closely 

 corded throughout with regular ridges, last whorl 

 angled at the ujiper part, compressly noduled at the 

 angle, faintly obliquely plicated above, aperture elon- 

 gately oblong, lips obsoletely crenulated; light ful- 

 vous bay, aperture white. 



Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.) vol. vii. p. 8. 

 Tgrrhmum, Chemnitz. 



Cassidea TgrrJiena, Bruguiere. 



Buccinum echinophorum, var. Gmelin. 



Buccinum ochroleucum., Gmelin. 



Cassidaria echinophora, Deshayes. 

 Hab. Mediterranean. 



Dr. Philippi and M. Deshayes are of opinion that this 

 shell, of which there is an accurate representation in 

 Chemnitz ' Conchylien Cabinet,' vol. x. p. 153. f. 1461-2, 

 is a smooth variety of the well-known C. echinophora which 

 follows. It is remarkably distinguished by its angular 

 pyriform growth, and I have not seen any specimen which 

 may be said to represent a state intermediate between this 

 and the commoner form, of which specimens with few oi- 

 no nodules are frequently mistaken for it. 



Species 3. (Fig. a and b, Mus. Cuming.) 

 Cassidaria echinophora. Cass, testa oviformi, vel 

 globoso-ovatd, transversim medio costatd, supra et infra 

 tenuiliratd, costis plamdatis, plus mimisve nodosis, lira 

 parvd intermedia, labro externa subincrassato, intus 

 crenato ; fulvescente-albd,ferrugineo-fusco plus minusre 

 tinctd. 

 The prickly Cassidaria. Shell egg-shaped or glo- 

 bosely ovate, transversely ribbed in the middle, finely 

 ridged above and below, ribs rather flattened, more 

 or less nodose, with a small intermediate ridge, outer 

 lip somewhat thickened, crenated within ; light ful- 

 vous white, more or less stained with rusty brown. 

 Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.) vol. x. p. 7. 

 Buccinum echinophortim, Linnaeus. 

 Cassidea echinophora, Bruguiere. 

 Echinora tuberculosa, Schumacher. 

 Buccinum strigosum, Gmelin. 

 Buccinum nodosum, DOlwyn. 

 Cassidaria Tyrrhena, var., Philippi. 

 Hab. Mediterranean. 



The large noduled specimen represented at Fig. 2 b, 

 sufficiently shows that the growth of this species is ex- 

 tremely variable ; still, I have not observed in any variety 

 the peculiar angulated pe;u:-shape which distinguishes the 

 C. Tyrrhena. 



Species 3. (Mus. Brit.) 

 Cassidaria striata. Cuss, testa subpyriformi-ovatd, 

 .\ugust, 184.9. 



