195 



NOTE ON A NEW VARIETY (VAR. LONGISFIRA) OF OLIVA 



ISPIDULA. 



By F. G. Beidgman. 



Read Sth June, 1906. 

 I HAVE for some time had in my collection some specimens of Oltva 

 which I think should be regarded as a variety of the well-known 

 0. ispidula, although at first sight they look almost specifically 

 distinct. They differ considerably from the type in form, being 

 decidedly narrower in proportion to the length, and also in having 

 a much longer and more gradually tapering spire. 



Their ground-colour is yellowish or yellowish - brown, and is 

 reticulated with an irregular network of brown lines, and often 

 exhibits more or less numerous scattered spots and dots of a much 

 darker tint. The interior of the aperture is chocolate brown, becoming 

 a little paler anteriorly. The suture is narrowly but distinctly 

 channelled, and bordered above with a collar-like callus of a slaty- 

 brown colour. Length of largest specimen 30, diam. 105 mm. ; 

 length of spire above the apci'ture, 9 mm. 



The locality of my specimens is unknown, but there are three 

 examples in the British Museum, from the ' Cuming' Collection, 

 which are labelled " Pasacao, province of Albay, Island of Luzon, 

 sandy mud, low water." They are a little lighter in colour than my 

 shells, but in other respects quite similar. 



This seems also a fitting opportunity of recording the occurrence of 

 this species at the Cape Verd Islands, the British Museum having last 

 year received a series of six specimens collected at that locality by 

 Mr. R. Murchland. 



They are of the normal typical form, but variable in colour. Some 

 are fawn-colour, with blue-black dottings, as figured by Sowerby in 

 the Thesaurus Conch., vol. iv, pi. cccxliii, fig. 250, and two of them 

 have a dark-coloured, clearly defined band at the upper part of the 

 body-whorl, as in fig. 251. 



The occurrence of this common East Indian shell so far north in 

 the Atlantic is very remarkable, although it has been recorded from 

 South Africa. 



