62 JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW 

 SPECIES OF VOLUTA FROM WEST AUSTRALIA. 



By EDGAR A. SMITH, F.Z.S. 

 Zoological Department, British Museum. 



Voluta guntheri. 



Testa parva, breviter fusiformis, solida, alba, lineis mimerosis 

 longitudinalibus valdeflextiosis flavo-fuscis ornata : anfractus 

 6, primi tres Iceves, convexiusciili ; cateri supra concavi. 

 deinde angulati, ad angiilutn serie tuberadorum acutoricm 

 instructi : spira brevis, coricava, longittidinis totiiis circa \ 

 (zguans, ad apicem obtiisa ; cohimella alba, pirns validis 

 quatuor immita ; apertura elongata, angusta, alba. 



Longit. 43 ;;////., diam. max. 22 mill. ; apertura 35 mill, longa, 

 ^ viiU. lata. 



This species is smaller than the majority of Volutes, and 

 well distinguished by its peculiar colour-markings and the 

 rather acutely noduled angle at the upper part or shoulder of 

 the penultimate and body-whorls. The shell is strong, white, 

 and ornamented with numerous fine yellowish-brown lines, 

 which radiate from the suture to the angle and then become 

 wavy and more or less regularly zigzag, so that in the single 

 specimen under examination four indistinct transverse bands 

 of zigzag lines fall at sub-equal distances upon the body-whorl. 

 The surface is smooth, with the exception of the fine lines of 

 growth and indications of feeble spiral striae. There are six 

 whorls, of which the three first form a smooth obtuse mammil- 

 lated apex. The last and penultimate whorls are rather con- 

 cave above and then angulated and prettily sub-acutely corona- 

 ted at the angle. The body-whorl is only slightly convex at 

 the sides, and at the aperture ascends somewhat obliquely. 

 The spire is very short, has concave outlines, and occupies 

 only about one-fifth of the total length of the shell. The 

 aperture is somewhat narrow and elongate and entirely white. 

 The folds on the columella are strong, four in number, sub- 

 equi-distant, and only a little different in thickness, the upper- 

 most or hindmost being the strongest, and the foremost the 

 most slender. 



J.C, v., April, 1886. 



