428 VENERID^. 



A. ExoLETA, Linnoous. 



Striaj not very closely arranged ; surface generally rayed, or 

 variegated ; hinder dorsal edge straiglitish, and scarcely sloping ; 

 lunule generally coloured ; hinder dorsal area not flattened. 



Plate XXIII. fig. 3,4. 



Venus exolcia, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, p. 1134. — Penn. Brit. Zool, ed. 4, vol. iv. 

 p. 95. pi. 54, f. 49, A. (as variety. ) — Pulteney, Hiitchins, Ilist. 

 Dorset, p. 34. — DoNov. Brit. Shells, vol. ii. pi. 4"2, f. 1. — Mont. 

 Test. Brit. p. 116 (chiefly). — Linn. Trans, vol. viii. p. 87, pi. 

 3, f. 1. — Dorset Catalog, p. 35, pi. 8, f. 5. — Turt. Conch. Dic- 

 tion, p. 241. — Born, Mus. Cass. Vind. pi. 5, f. 9. — Chemn. 

 Conch. Cab. vol. vii. p. 18 (partly), pi. 38, f. 404.— Poli, Test. 

 Sicil. pi. 21, f. 9, 10, ] 1.— DiLLW. Recent Shells, vol. i. p. 195 

 (partly). — Index Tcstaceol. pi. 8, f. 83. — Blainv. Manuel Ma- 

 lacol. pi. 74, f. 2. 

 Pectunculus cajnllaceus. Da Costa, Brit. Conch, p. 187, pi. 12, f. 5. 

 Ci/tJuirea cxoleta, Lam. Anim. s. Vert, (ed Desh.) vol. vi. p. 314. — Turt. Dithyra 

 Brit. p. 1G2, pi. 8, f. 7, and (as sinmita) pi. 10, f. 10, 11.— 

 Flem. Brit. Anim. p. 445. — Macgilliv. Moll. Aberd. p. 

 262.— Brit. Marine Conch, p. 84,— PiiiLiPPi, Moll. Sicil. 

 vol. i. p. 41, and vol. ii. p. 32. — Hanl. Recent Shells, p. 102. 

 Aiilicmis exoleta, Desh. Elem. Conch, pi. 20, f. 9, 10, 11. — Philippi, Neu. 



Conch, vol. i. p. 171. 

 Artemis exoleta,'FoKB^s, Malac. Monensis, p. 51. — Brown, 111. Conch. G. B. 

 p. 92, pi. 36, f. 1, 3. 



The shape is suborbieular, but with a sh'glit tendency to 

 squareness ; the length is more usually (but not invariably) 

 slightly superior to the breadth. The valves, which are 

 opaque, solid, occasionally ponderous, and, when adult, al- 

 most entirely devoid of lustre, are probably, although not 

 vieing in this respect with the succeeding species, rather 

 above than below the average convexity of this genus, being 

 subventricose ; they are decidedly inequilateral, the hinder 

 side b(;ing nearly twice as long as the front one. The 

 external surface, which is never of a pure white, is of a pale 

 cream colour, almost invariably adorned with livid red 



