EICnsrULA.— Plate I. 



affinity of the shells here represented ; they exhibit no 

 difference except in colour; and I think, with ]\Ii-. Sowerby, 

 that they cannot be regarded otherwise than as varieties of 

 one and the same species. The arrangement of spionymes 

 above recorded, show that M. De Blainville erroneously 

 considered the dark variety as the Lamarckian type, h^ a , 



-^y 



Species 3. (Mus. Cuming.) 



RiciNULA HOERIDA. JRiciii. testd omto-glohosd, spird 

 hrevissimd, traiisversm iubeivulatd, tubercuUs hrevibus, 

 squamaformibns, acutis, colnmelld labroque fortiter 

 dentatis ; albidd aut lutesceiite, tuberculis iiigricaniibus, 

 aperturd violaced. 



The rough Eicindla. Shell ovately globose, spii-e very 

 short, transversely tuberculated, tubercles short, scale- 

 like, sharp, lip and columella strongly toothed ; 

 whitish or yellowish, tubercles blackish, aperture 

 violet. 



Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes' edit.) vol. x. p. 47. 

 Murex neritoideus, Gmebn, (not of Linneeus) . 

 Rlcmella violacea, Schumacher. 



Hab. Philippine and Society Islands (on the reefs at low 

 water); Cuming. 



This well-known species is distinguishable from all 

 others by its black tubercles and \'iolet apertm-e. 



Species 4. (Mus. Cumiug.) 



RiciNULA iodostoma. Bicm. testa suborbiculari-ovatd, 

 crassd, ponderosd, siibdepressd, spird brevissimd, trans- 

 versim striata, et obtuse vel obsolete cosfatd, costis rid 

 marginem prominentioribus, aperturd fortiter dentatd, 

 supeme callosd ; albicante, costis fusco-nigricantibtis, 

 striis intermediis fuscescetitibus, aperturd vivide roseo- 

 purpured. 



The violet mouth Eicinula. Shell somewhat orbicu- 

 larly ovate, thick, ponderous, rather depressed, spii-e 

 very short, transversely striated and obtusely, or 

 rather obsoletely, ribbed, ribs more prominent at the 

 margin, apertm'e strongly toothed, thickened at the 

 upper part; whitish, ribs brownish-black, intermediate 

 striBB brown, aperture bright pinkish pui'ple. 



Lesson, Magasin de Zoologie, 1843. Moll. pi. 58. 

 Hab. New Zealand, Lesson ; Straits of Macassar ; Eohi-. 



An interesting species, introduced by M. Lesson, and 

 forming a valuable addition to the typical portion of the 

 genus ; it may be readUy distinguished from the R. horrida 

 by the absence of tubercles, in place of which it is encircled 

 with conspicuous dark bands, and the more pinky tinge 

 of the piu-ple which chai-acterizes the aperture. 



Species 5. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Eicinula arachnoides. Ricin. testd obovatd, spird 

 brevissimd, transversim costatd, costis spinis sguama- 

 formibus muricatis, spinis marginem versus longioribus, 

 costarmii interstitiis striatis, striis interdum miniitissime 

 squamatis ; lutescente, costis albidis, spinis partim vet 

 onmino nigricantibus, aperturd interdum maculis luteis 

 circumdatd. 

 The spider-like Eicinula. Shell obovate, spire very 

 short, transversely ribbed, ribs muricated with scale- 

 like spines, spines longer towards the margin, inter- 

 stices between the ribs striated, stria; sometimes mi- 

 nutely scaled ; yellonish, ribs white, spines partially 

 or entu-ely blackish, aperture sometimes enchxled 

 with yellow spots. 

 Lamarck, Anim. sans vert. (Deshayes edit.) vol. x. p. 49. 

 Murex ricinus, Linnaeus. 



Unspotted variety, Riciiiula albolabris, De BlainvUle. 

 Hai. Philippine and Society Islands ; Cuming. 



Here again I must be allowed to differ from M. M. De 

 Blainville and Deshayes. There can be no doubt of the 

 specific affinity between R. albolabris of the former, and the 

 R. arachnoides of Lamarck ; the " stries subecaiUeuses " 

 to which M. Deshayes refers, as distinguishing the former, 

 are but a modification of growth, the striae being sometimes 

 smooth, sometimes, and especially in young indiriduals, 

 developed in minute scales, characteristic of the normal 

 state. The spines of this species are more or less coloured 

 black, sometimes altogether white, and the presence or 

 absence of yellow spots at the aperture is subject to the 

 same law of variety. 



