Marine Species 

 Comment: Taken for food ? 



Family: FICIDAE (fig shells) 



Ficus communis Roding 



Illustration: Plate 7,^. 



Modern distribution: Common on east coast south 

 to Isla Mujeres, north coast and west coast to Isla 

 Carmen. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 96 unworked; most datable 

 specimens are Formative (see Table 2). 

 MAYAPAN: 3 unworked, presumably Decadent 

 period (P, p. 387, fig. 47,^, "Ficus papyratia Say," 

 which is this species). 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 2 unworked. For- 

 mative. 



CoMMENT:The frequency of this very delicate shell 

 at Dzibilchaltun, particularly in the Formative de- 

 posits, suggests that it may have been used as food. 

 The shell is so thin that it could have had no use 

 as material for jewelry or other artifacts. 



Family: MURICIDAE (murex) 



Murex dilectus A. Adams 



Illustration: Plate 8, cc. 



Modern distribution: East coast north of Isla Can- 

 cun, north coast, and west coast to Isla Carmen, 

 also at Alacran Reef. Fairly common. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



TIKAL: 3 unworked (M, p. 67, "Murex, prob- 

 ably florifer Reeve," archaeological context not 

 noted). 



Comment: Emily Yokes called to my attention that 

 all our peninsular specimens of this form were 

 the above species, not M. florifer Reeve, a larger and 

 much heavier, although related, form. It is strange 

 that this beautiful and fairly common shell has not 

 appeared in the Yucatan archaeological collections. 



Murex julvescens Sowerby 



Illustration: Plate 8,3, aa. 



Modern distribution: A fragment of this species 

 was found by Emily and Harold Yokes at Isla 

 Carmen, Campeche. It has not been collected else- 

 where on the peninsula. Abbott (1954) gives its 

 distribution as "North Carolina to Florida and to 

 Texas." 



13 



Archaeological occurrence: 



CHICHEN ITZA: i unworked, found by me on 

 surface in area of Modified Florescent construc- 

 tion. 



Comment: Location in Modified Florescent area at 

 Chichen Itza would fit well with its apparent impor- 

 tation from the western Gulf coast. 



Murex pomum Gmelin 



Illustration: V\2i\.t9.,b,bb. 



Modern distribution: The common Murex on the 

 entire peninsular periphery; Turneffe Islands, 

 B.H., to Isla Carmen, Camp. Also on offshore 

 atolls. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: i unworked, in the Cenote 

 Xlacah, probably as an offering. Undatable. 

 ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 2 unworked, For- 

 mative. 



TIKAL: I unworked in Early Classic structure 

 cache (M-MS). 

 UAXACTUN: I unworked, Tzakol (K, p. 61). 



Comment: In 1964 this species was collected and 

 used for food by natives at Corker Cay, B.H. 



Murex rubidus Baker 



Illustration: V\3.tt2i,dd. 



Modern distribution: Rare on west coast only. 



Celestun, Yuc, to Chencan, Camp. 

 Archaeological occurrence: 



TIKAL: I unworked, as "Murex recurvirostris" 



(M-MS). 



Comment: M. rubidus was originally called M. 

 recurvirostris rubidum F. C. Baker, the local form 

 of this species. It has recently been given specific 

 status. 



Purpura patula (Linne) 



Illustration: Plate 8,f. 



Modern distribution: Common on Caribbean coast, 

 from Turnefle Islands, B.H., to Isla Contoy, Q.R. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i unworked, For- 

 mative. 



Thais deltoidea (Lamarck) 

 Illustration: Plate 8,//. 



Modern distribution: Caribbean coast, Cozumel to 

 Isla Contoy. Cayo Areas. 



