i62 Bulletin 39 334 



Gatun Stage: Coll. 5, Red Cliff Creek. 



Genus ASTRALJUM Link 

 Astralium brevispinum Lamarck, var. basafis, n. var. Plate 15, figs. 4, 5 



The Astraliiini brevispinum Lamarck is a recent species 

 found living along the north coast of Panama and Costa Rica. 

 It is most easily distinguished from the West Indian A. longjspi- 

 niun Lamarck b}^ having its columellar area brilliantly stained 

 with scarlet. 



From upper Old Man vSam Creek in eastern Costa Rica, we 

 collected a single specimen of an Astralium, very similiar inmost 

 of its characters to brevispinum. It differs most importantly in 

 having a more strongly sculptured base. This sculpture consists 

 of a wide, flat band, inside of which are 3, heavy, nearly 

 equal spiral cords. The whole surface is crossed by squamosa 

 lines of growth. 



Height 20, diameter 29.50 mm. 



Gatu7i Stage: Coll. 6, Old Man Sam Creek. 



Astralium caefatum Gmelin, variety 



Trochus ccelatuni Gmelin 1792, Syst. Nat., p. 3581. 

 Astralium ccelatum Pilsbry, 1888, Manual of Conch., first ser., vol. 10, 

 p. 224, pi. 57, figs. 45, 46. 



A large Turboid shell related to the recent A. ccelatiim Gme- 

 lin was collected from the coral limestones near Port Limon. It 

 is so firmly imbedded in its rocky matrix that only a small por- 

 tion of its surface is exposed to view. Its surface sculpture is like 

 that of ccslatum, but the radial costae on the upper part of its 

 whorl are closely spaced and not far apart as in the recent shell. 

 Its height measures 55 mm, diameter 54. 



Gatun Stao-e: Port Li?non. 



