CANTHARIDUS. 125 



U. S. Expl. Exped. Moll., p. 181, t, 12, f. 206. FISCHER, Coq. Viv., 

 p. 133, t. 46, f. l. T. pallidus HOMER. ET JACQ. Voy. an Pole-Slid, 

 p. 55, t. 14, f. 12, 13. (Not T. pallidus Forbes). T. rostratus 

 KEENER, Species et Icon., t. 46, f. 1. T. torosus Q.UOY, mss. in 

 KIENER, Species et Icon., genre Trochus, t. 46, f. 3. FISCHER, Coq. 

 Viv., p. 136, t. 46, f. 3. 



I am disposed to refer to one species all of the coarsely ribbed 

 Cantharidua of New Zealand included in the above synonymy. 

 The description given above applies to the typical purpuratu*. The 

 following may be separated as varieties. 



Yar. TEXTURATUS Gould. PI. 45, figs. 41-43. 



Form as in typical C. purpuratus. The sculpture consists of five 

 broad rounded spiral ribs on the penultimate, nine or ten on the last 

 whorl. The ribs have a secondary sculpture of fine spiral sir ice, the 

 whole surface covered by sharp incremental stria? which are lam- 

 ellose in the narrow interstices between ribs. Aperture brilliantly 

 nacreous within. Color whitish, longitudinally striped with red or 

 purplish ; apical whorls roseate. 



Yar. TOROSUS Quoy. PL 45, fig. 4"). 



Im perforate, elongate-conical, spire acute; whorls 7 to 8, livid- 

 reddish or ashy, slightly convex, radiately irregularly striate, with 4 

 low, transversely striated spiral cinguli ; body-whorl subcarinate ; 

 base convex, 4-lirate ; aperture ovate; columella white, arcuate, 

 margins greenish. Alt. 26, cliam. 15 mill. (Fischer.'} 



Nothing more than an elongated form of the preceding, scarcely 

 distinct enough for varietal rank. Specimens before me are inter- 

 mediate between texturatus and torosus in form and coloration. 



C. PULCHERRIMUS Wood. PL 46, figs. 78, 79. 



Shell im perforate, acutely conical, elongated, thick and solid ; 

 spire straightly conical, apex subacute, sutures linear; whorls about 

 6, nearly flat, the penultimate with four or five broad flat spiral ribs, 

 often unequal in width, separated by narrow impressed grooves, the 

 body-whorl subangular, with four or five broad fiat low ribs above 

 the periphery and more numerous narrower ones on the base. The 

 ribs are usually purplish-crimson articulated with narrow white 

 marks. Aperture small, less than one-half the length of shell, 

 oblique, oval, brilliantly iridescent and somewhat sulcated inside, 

 peristome edged with a line of intense crimson, bordered with green- 



