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NOTE ON BURSA (TUTUFA) RUBETA (Bolten) = TRITON 

 LAM PAS (Lamarck et auct). 



By EDGAR A. SMITH, I.S.O. 



(Read before the Society, September 9th, 1914). 

 Pl.A'lE 4. 



The purpose of the present note is to call attention to the great 

 variation in size, form, and sculpture which occurs in the shells 

 commonly known as " Triton lampas^'' but described by Linnaeus in 

 section y of his genus Murex. Extraordinary differences in size 

 frequently occur in many species in various genera, but in the present 

 instance considerable difference of form and sculpture accompanies 

 that of size. 



It may be of interest to give a few instances of variation in size in 

 certain well-known shells, the measurements being taken from examples 

 in the National Collection, but even in any one of these cases it is 

 quite possible that the limit of difference which may exist is not 

 reached. 



Linnaeus in the loth edition of the ' Systema Naturas ' founded his 

 Murex iajfipa s wpon two figures. The first one quoted is in Ronde- 

 letius^ which undoubtedly represents " Triton nodiferiwi " Lamarck 

 from the Mediterranean. The second figure in Gualtier^ is very crude 

 but may represent a form (immature) of Triton lafnpas of authors — 

 the species under consideration. Linnaeus gave Mediterranean for 

 the habitat. There can be no question as to what shell is represented 

 by Rondeletius' figure (reversed like all the others in his book). 



1 Universas Aquat. Hist., p. 81, 1555. 



2 Index Test. Conch., pi. l, fig. d, 1742. 



