54 Ci 1.UTTI0NS FEOM MELANESIA. 



40. Turbinella (Tudicula) spinosa. (Plate V. fig. H.) 



Tudicla (Tudicula) spinosa, II- ty A. Adams, Proc. Zoul. Soc. 1863, 

 p. 429. 



Hub. Port Curtis {Coll. Cuming); Prince of Wales Channel, 

 Torres Straits, 9 frus. (Coppinger). 



This species is not entirely white as originally described, but has 

 an interrupted zone of pale brown around the last whorl immediately 

 beneath the crown of short hollow spines at the angle towards the 

 upper part of the whorl. The spines correspond in number and 

 position with the longitudinal rounded plica? (usually averaging 

 about eleven or twelve on the last whorl), are directed obliquely 

 upwards and a little backward, and increase in length with the 

 growth of the shell, but do not attain any thing like the dimensions 

 of some in the preceding species. Messrs. Adams give the number 

 of folds on the columella as three ; whilst in three out of four speci- 

 mens before me I find four, of which the two lowermost are very 

 close together and might bo regarded as constituting one duplex 

 plait. In the type specimen this feature is less conspicuous, still a 

 slight groove subdivides it. The second or central fold is the most 

 prominent in every example. The lirae within the aperture are 

 tine, ten or eleven in number, and extend into the interior as far as 

 the eye can reach. The columellar callosity is free, prominent, and 

 joins the upper extremity of the labrum. The canal is remarkably 

 straight, neatly closed, and occupies considerably more than half the 

 total length of the shell. The type is 38 millim. long and 16 broad 

 at the periphery ; bttt another specimen is 21 wide, and probably, if 

 perfect, would have a length of 50. 



Mr. Tryon's supposition that this species (Man. Con. vol. hi. p. 144) 

 is "probably identical with T. armigera" and that T. inermis 

 (wrongly attributed to Sowerby instead of Angas) "is simply a 

 depauperated specimen of the same species,'' is altogether wrong, all 

 three being undoubtedly distinct. 



41. Mitra proscissa, var. (Plate V. fig. I.) 



Reeve, Conch. Icon. fig. 177; Sowerby, Thes. Conch, pi. 355. fig. 264, 

 and pi. 356. fig. 282. 



Shell ovately fusiform, acuminate at the apex, olive-brown, 

 irregularly spotted and streaked in a longitudinal direction with 

 white, and encircled round the middle of the last whorl with a zone 

 of the same colour. Volutions about 10; the upper ones flat at 

 the sides, separated by a deep subcanaliculate suture, strengthened 

 with three strong spiral costa?, of which the uppermost is a trifle the 

 thickest and situated immediately beneath the suture ; the two 

 others are equidistant, the lowermost leaving a furrow between it 

 and the suture beneath. The interstices are rather strongly sculp- 

 tured by elevated lines of growth. Upon a portion of the penulti- 

 mate and upon the hody-whorl the two lower of these three ridges 

 become double, each being divided by a shallow groove, and the 

 uppermost is bipartite. In addition to these the last whorl, which 

 is convex at the sides, is encircled by a fourth duplex costa, and 



