CONCHO LEPAS. 



Plate I. 



Genus COXCHOLEl'AS, Lamarck. 



Tf-sln ovatn, venlricosissima, spird mintitd, anfraclibus 

 fribus, rapidissime accrescentihiis, ultimo perainplo, 

 iiperliird patuld, ad basin modice cann/icnla/n, labro 

 (■viilin'io, jiixia canalem bidentato. Operculum cor- 

 neum, parviiisculiim. 

 SlicU ovate, extremely ventricose, spire minute, whorls 

 three, increasing very rapidly, last whorl very large, 

 aperture wide open, modeiately channelled, lip con- 

 tinuous, two-toothed next the canal. Operculum 

 iiorny, rather small. 

 Conckolepn.i is a form of Purpura inhabiting the western 

 coast of South America, from Ecuador to Cape Horn, 

 round to the eastern shores of Tierra del Fuego. The 

 growth of the shell is limited to three whorls, and so 

 small, consequently, is the spire that it has very much the 

 appearance of a Limpet. The sculpture radiates from 

 the apex in ribs and ridges, and these are mostly im- 

 bricated with concentric frills of scales. As in Purpura 

 and Monoceros, the aperture is notched and toothed at the 

 base, the lip being continuous in an expanded form over 

 the coluraella. I venture to characterize two species. 



I Species 1. (Fig. a to d, Mus. Cuming.) 



CONCHOLEPAS PeRUVIANUS. Conck. tesld OBuld, ceiilri- 

 cosd, ruft'scente-brunned, in icstd juniore iulerduiii, 

 albo-maculatd, radiatim coslatd et liratd, coitis liris- 

 que subirregularibus, concentrici plus minus fimbricilo- 

 squamatis. 



The Peruvian Conciiolepas. Shell ovate, ventricose, 

 reddish-brown, sometimes blotched in the young 

 shell with white, radiately ribbed and ridged, ribs 

 and ridges rather irregular, concentrically more or 

 less fimbriately scaled. 



Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. vol. 10. p. 126. 

 Buccinum coiwholepas, Bruguiere. 

 Patella lepus, Gmelin. 

 Buccinum lepus. Burrows. 

 Purpura Peruviana, De Blainville. 



Hab. Peru. 



The typical state of this species is with the outer sur- 

 face elaborately imbricated with concentric frills »( scales. 

 Specimens are, however, found with the scales almost ol)- 

 solete. In the young shell there are mostly blotches of 

 I white. 



.Tune, 1863. 



