254 



WEST AMERICAN CYPR^IDiE. 



By FRED L. BUTTON. 



With a Prefatory Note by L. St. G. Byne, M.Sc. 



(Read before the Society, May 14, 1902). 



Prefatory Note. 



At my suggestion Mr. F. L. Button, of Oakland, California, has 

 written a list of the Cyprgeidse inhabiting the western shores of North 

 and South America. It has been made as complete as possible and 

 as no such work is in existence it should prove most useful to British 

 cypraeologists. Although Mr. Button has had great experience of West 

 American Cyprcece and possesses extensive suites of many species, yet 

 he has refrained from describing any new varieties. I have noted this 

 fact with much pleasure and satisfaction, and hope that his example 

 may be imitated by others in the future. This is a convenient place 

 to express the indebtedness of many of the Society's members to the 

 author for his generous help in supplying many of the species enu- 

 merated. L. St. G. B. 



The following is a list of the Cyprseidae found along the Western or 

 Pacific Coasts of North and South America, so far as now known. 

 The maximum lengths are indicated in millimetres and represent, for 

 the most part, specimens in my personal collection. The geographical 

 ranges are compiled from all sources obtainable — largely from the 

 published works and papers of Dr. P. P. Carpenter, C. B. Adams, 

 Dr. R. E. C. Stearns of the U.S. National Museum, of Dr. J. G. 

 Cooper of the California Academy of Sciences, from the original 

 descriptions, and from authentic specimens at hand. I have also 

 made use of the monographs of Messrs. Sowerby, Reeve, Kiener and 

 Roberts,^ and of Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill's valuable paper. 



I. — Cyprsea albuginosa Mawe. 28 mm. Lower California and 

 Gulf to Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. 



2. — C. arabicula Lam. 38 mm. Lower California to Peru. 



3, — C. exanthema Linn. Type form. 140 mm. Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia. 



The Pacific or type-form, well figured by Kiener (pi. 4, fig. i) and 

 by Reeve (Sp. 16), although the habitat given by both is erroneous, 

 is found only along the Gulf of California (Western Mexico), has large 

 spots, more or less ocellated, a thin semi-pellucid texture, and promi- 

 nent apex. The Sowerby figures (nos. 182-4 ^^^ 33°); represent an 

 extreme specimen, both as to ocellation and bluish colouring of the 



I Tryon, "Man. Conch.," vol. 7, 1885. 



