364 LITTOEINID^. 



R. RETICULATA, Montagu. 



R. Beanii, nonnull. et Brit. Moll. iii. p. 84, pi. 79. f. 5, 6. 

 E. sculpta, nonnull. et Brit. Moll. iii. p. 88, pi. 80. f. 5, 6. 



The animal occupies a spiral, cancellated, pale yellow or 

 brown shell, of 5-6 tumid volutions; its ground colour is 

 yellowish-white. Mantle even with the shell, except the fila- 

 mentary process at the angle of the aperture. Head pro- 

 boscidiform, furnished with the usual cloven disk and buccal 

 appendages ; the rostrum near its termination at the upper 

 surface appears to have attached to it two very small similar 

 shields, one on each side, independent of the terminal minute 

 subcircular flat lobes. The tentacula are compressed, slender, 

 rather long, rounded at the extremities, not setose : the eyes 

 are at the external angles, on short light yellow or orange 

 pedicles. Foot subrotund, scarcely auricled, but grooved in 

 front sufficiently to form a shallow labium, slightly constricted 

 anteriorly at one-third the length, gently tapering to a rather 

 obtuse lanceolate but not emarginate termination. The oper- 

 culum is carried on an upper, plain, moderately alated lobe, at 

 nearly the point of the junction of the foot with the body ; it 

 is pyriform, with indistinct rapidly-increasing paucispiral gyra- 

 tions ; the terminal part of the lobe, like the R. semistriata, is 

 furnished with three blunt, cylindrical, short cirrhi, and occa- 

 sionally one of the sides of the main foot is emarginate. The 

 branchial plume is composed of 12-15 single, pale yellow, 

 short strands, which are visible when the neck is greatly ex- 

 serted. The animal is active and freely shows its points. 

 Common in the coralline zone, but rather rare alive. 



This is the true Turbo reticulatus of Montagu ; it is, however, 

 subject to considerable variation of the contour and quality of 

 the cancellations, which have led to the fabrication of some 

 spurious species. 



This species has not before been described. The specific 

 appellation of ' reticulata } must be substituted for ' Beanii '-, 

 a complimentary term ought not to take the place of the 

 long-accredited and not doubtful one of the admirable Mon- 

 tagu. 



