380 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



MUREX SUPERBUS Sowb. 



Murex superbus Sowb., Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 565, pi. 28, figs. 10, 

 11, 1888. 



This species is closely related to Murex pUciferus of the 

 same author and may eventually prove to be but a variety of 

 the same. The shell is said to be browner in color, the 

 nuclear whorls are round and smooth and the spiral lirae are 

 granular in texture ; the varices are somewhat scaly. The 

 dimensions given are, alt., 70; diam., 32; aperture alt., 18 ; 

 diam., 15 mill. Only a single specimen is known, the type, 

 from Hong Kong, China, and it is reasonable to suppose that 

 when more material is collected it will be found but a variety, 

 at most, of the preceding species. 



Murex calcar Kiener. 



Murex calcar Kiener, Coq. Viv., pi. 36, fig. 2. 



This species should be classed with the typical Murices, 

 instead of with Chicoreus, and is of the same general type as 

 Murex rarispina and M. nodatus. 



Murex nodatus Reeve. 



Murex nodatus Reeve, Conch. Icon., Murex, fig. 107, 1845. 



This species is not a synonym of messorius Reeve. They 

 may always be separated by the foUovving characters : nodatus 

 is a lighter, more spinose species, the intervarical plicae are 

 more numerous, and the inter-nodular brown spiral lines give 

 the sheila granular appearance. In messorius the nodules are 

 large and coarse, and the varices much shorter, less numerous 

 or wanting. Nodatus has been found at the following locali- 

 ties : Oflf Santa Cruz, in 115 fms., rocky bottom ; Flannegan 

 Passage, in 27 fms., sand; off Montserrat, living in 88 fms.; 

 off Barbados, in 76 fms., sand (Dall). It is a species which 

 may be looked for in collections from the West Indies. 



Subgenus Chicoreus Montfort, 1810. 



Considerable revision is necessary to bring order out of 

 €haos in this group. In my judgment the following sections 

 have no distinctive characters which can be regarded as higher 

 than specific; JSiratuSf Jouss., 1880 (type M. Senegalensis 



