SMITH : NOTE ON BURSA (TUTUFA) RUBETA. 227 



He does not state the size of his specimen, so possibly his figure 

 may be reduced, and have been taken from a shell of much larger 

 dimensions than those indicated by the engraving. However, all the 

 characters of " Triton fwdiferum " are depicted. The general form is 

 correct, the brown marks or stripes on the labrum (never occurring 

 in rubeta) with the white tubercles at their inner ends, the two rows 

 of nodules on the penultimate whorl with the spiral ridges below the 

 sutures, the white smooth interior of the aperture and the transverse 

 columellar ridges are either all shewn in the figure or described, and 

 the absence of a posterior canal at once distinguishes it from " Triton 

 lampas " auct. 



Linnaeus in the 12th edition of the ' Systema,' in addition to 

 Rondeletius and Gualtier, quoted two figures in Rumphius^ which 

 represent forms of T. lampas auct. However, he still repeats the 

 " Habitat in M. Mediterraneo." Taking into consideration all these 

 facts, it seems to me obvious that the Miirex lampas of Linnaeus must 

 be confined to the Mediterranean shell; commonly knovyn as ''^Triton 

 nodiferum " Lamarck. 



To transpose the name T. lampas, applied to a well-known shell, to 

 another species, equally well-known by a commonly received name, 

 does not seem advisable, still it must be done if we abide by the 

 evidence before us. 



Bolten^ had already (1798), before Lamarck's time, given a name 

 to this Mediterranean species, so that in any case the name 

 " nodiferum "^ cannot be used. Moreover the Australian " Triton 

 australe " Lamarck, said to be the same as " T nodifer^im,^'' has an 

 older name, viz., Septa rubicunda Perry, 181 1. 



The question now arises what name should be given to Triton 

 lampas, auct. 



The two figures in Rumphius, already referred to, namely pi. xxviii, 

 figs. c,D, certainly represent forms of T. lampas, auct. To these 

 which he regarded as illustrating forms of his Murex lampas, Linnaeus 

 gave the varietal names Biibo and Rubeta respectively. 



Gmelin also adopted these varietal names, and gave further refer- 

 ences to figures representing them. Among these are two quotations 

 from Chemnitz, Conch. Cab., vol. iv., pi. 129, figs. 1238-9, representing 

 Bubo, and figs. 1236-7 illustrating Rubeta. 



These names were adopted in a specific sense by Bolten, excepting 

 that he wrote Bufo instead of Bubo, a change suggested by Chemnitz 

 as being a typographical error in the Systema. However there is no 



1 Amboinsche Rariteit-Kamer, pi. xxviii., figs, c, D, 1705. 



2 Mus. Bolten p. 125. Tritonhtm opts. 



3 Triton was wrongly considered of the neuter gender by Lamarck, 



