122 CANTHARIDUS. 



revived it in 1840 for Trochus iris. In this uncertainty I prefer to 

 adopt Cantharidus of Montfort. 



Subgenus CANTHARIDUS, Montfort. 

 Section Cantharidus Montf. (restricted). 

 C. IRIS Gmelin. PL 34, fig. 15. 



Shell imperforate, elevated-conical, obtusely angular at the pe- 

 riphery, solid, but not very thick, whitish, tinged with blue on the 

 body-whorl and yellowish or pinkish on the spire, all over closely 

 longitudinally marked with undulating purplish-red streaks, often 

 zigzag, or interrupted into spiral series of articulations ; spire with 

 slightly concave outlines, slender, more or less eroded and showing 

 the iridescent green nacre at tip; sutures linear; whorls 8-9,. 

 generally showing traces of spiral impressed lines, base with about 

 5 spiral separated narrow ridges, often inconspicuous; aperture 

 ovate-rhoniboidal, oblique, lined with iridescent green nacre with 

 red reflections ; outer lip thin, slightly sulcate within ; columella 

 subvertical, generally straight in the middle or slightly projecting, 

 pearly above ; parietal wall eroded, brilliant green ; umbilico-colu- 

 mellar patch whitish. Alt. 40, diam. 30, mill. 



New Zealand. 



Opahts MARTYN, Univ. Conch., t. 24. T. msGMEL. Syst. Nat., 

 xiii, p. 3580. LAM., An. s. Vert, vii, p. 27. PHILIPPI, Conchyl. 

 Cab., p. 9, t. 2, f. 7, 8 ; t. 46, f. 9. WOODWARD, Manual of the Moll., 

 t. 10, f. 8. FISCHER, Coq. Viv., p. 157, t. 51, f. 4. Cantharidus iris- 

 HUTTON, Man. N. Z. Moll., p. 99 (1880). 



The largest species of the genus. Specimens with the outer coat 

 ground off show a beautifully iridescent green nacre. 



C. PRUININUS Gould. PI. 46, figs. 60, 61. 



Shell ovate-conical, imperforate, rather solid, deep purple (some- 

 times with a few white dots), apex pink ; surface nearly smooth, 

 very densely finely spirally striate all over ; spire conical, apex sub- 

 acute ; whorls about 6, slightly convex, the last rounded or very 

 obtusely angular ; aperture less than one-half the length of shell r 

 ovate, oblique, iridescent within and showing fine dense folds in the 

 nacre; columella subhorizontal, straightened in the middle, ex- 

 panded in a callous pad over the umbilicus. 



Alt. 22, diam. 16 mill. ; alt. 30, diam. 19 mill. ; alt. 19, diam. 16 



mill. 



Auckland and Campbell Is.. 



