DENTALIUM. 195 



2. D. Tarenti'num ^, Lamarck. 



D. tarentinum, Lam. An. sans Vert. v. p. 345. D. Tarentinurn, F. & H. 

 ii. p. 451, pi. Ivii. f. 12. 



Body yellowish-white : tentacles very long, ringed like worms, 

 with sucker-shaped tips : palps usually eight in number, four 

 on each side of the mouth, but difficult to make out ; they are 

 of different sizes, and covered with vibratile cilia : foot flanked 

 on either side by a sinuated symmetrical lobe or flap. 



Shell less slender and rather more curved than D. entails, 

 not so apt to be segmented, very solid and opaque, mostly dull 

 and lustreless: sculpture, fine and regular longitudinal strias 

 towards the point; and the entire surface appears, under a good 

 magnifying power, covered with extremely numerous and de- 

 licate impressed lines in the same direction ; there are also 

 the usual marks of growth : colour creamy, with sometimes a 

 reddish-brown tinge, or clouded rings denoting the periodical 

 lines of growth, and occasionally a pinkish hue near the point : 

 margin at the anterior end jagged, as in the other species ; at 

 the posterior end it is abruptly truncated, and fui^nished with 

 a very short and small straight pipe, placed in the middle and 

 having a circular orifice ; it has no notch, groove, slit, or 

 channel. L. 1-3. B. 0-2. 



Habitat : From low-water mark at spring tides 

 (Oxwich Bay, near Swansea, J. G. J.) to 25 f., in the 

 Channel Isles, South of England, Bristol Channel, Car- 

 digan Bay (J. Gr. J.), Bantry Bay (Mrs. Puxley and 

 J. D. Humphreys), and Arran Isle, co. Galway (Barlee). 

 At the latter place it was dredged with D. entails, but 

 in a larger numerical proportion. Fossil in the Sub- 

 apennine tertiaries (Brocchi), and Sicily (Philippi, as 

 D. entails) . The present species has a southern range 

 from the north of France to Gibraltar,, both sides of the 

 Mediterranean, and the Adriatic, in 3-40 f. It has 

 usually been regarded as D. entails. 



* Prom its having been found at Tarento, in Italy. 



k2 



