A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE 



OF THE 



SCALIDJ] OF THE ¥EST INDIA ISLANDS. 



By O. A. L. MoRCH, Ph.D. 



! r-% 



OBSERVATIONS. 



The present paper was originally destined to be part of a descriptive Catalogue 

 of the collection of the late Robert Swift, of St. Thomas and Philadelphia; but 

 additions from the collections of Mr. Henry Krebs and Mr. A. H. Riise and others 

 have much increased the material not only in new species^ but especially in nume- 

 rous specimens in well-selected suites representing varieties and geographical 

 distribution. 



It was the intention to figure not only the new species, but also those rarer 

 ones already figured only in rare or costly works ; but circumstances have com- 

 pelled a change of plan, and limit the illustrations to a single plate. 



Copenhagen, Maj, 1875. 



The ScalidcB of the West Indies. 



The species of the genus Scala of Klein were by Linne associated with Turri- 

 tella, Clausilia, &c. in the genus Turbo, from which Lamarck separated it under 

 the name Scalaria ; distinguishing it by its numerous varices from Turritella. A 

 knowledge of the animal and its anatomy has, however, shown that those two 

 genera are widely different ; Turritella belonging to the DioiCA, order Tsenioglos- 

 sata (Troschel), having seven rows of teeth with reflected edges, proving its phyto- 

 phagous habits ; Scala, on the contrary, to the Androgyna, order Ptenoglossata, 

 having subulate multiseriate teeth wanting the median or rhachial tooth. This 

 latter circumstance proves that the animal, like Testacella and lanthina, swallows 

 its food entire or in large morsels. In fact, Scala gronlandica feeds (according to 

 Dr. Gould)* eagerly on fresh beef, especially if somewhat macerated. In the form 

 of the teeth and in their predacious habits, the Scalidce agree with lanthinidce, in 



* Gould, Invertebrata of Massachusetts, 1841, p. 350. 

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