TURBINELLUS. 



Lam» — Syst. des Anim. san& Vert. p. 85. 



TESTA turbinata, apertura angusta, basi canalicu- 

 lata; Co/wme^/a 3- ad 5-plicata; plicis compressiSj, 

 transversis. 



A Genus approaching very nearly in its general characters 

 to Murex ; some of the species which constitute it have 

 been placed by Linne among his Murices ; others on ac- 

 count of the plicated Columella he has arranged among the 

 Volutce. We apprehend the Murex Scoli/mus^ Valuta 

 Pi/rum^ Valuta Cer arnica^ Valuta Turhinellus^ and Valuta 

 Capitellum constitute together a very natural Genus, to 

 which Lamarck has given the Generic appellation of Tur- 

 hinellus. They are turbinate shells with a rather narrow 

 aperture, elongated at its base into the form of a more or 

 less lengthened canal : from three to five prominent com- 

 pressed transverse folds, all nearly equal in size, are placed 

 near the centre of the Calumella ; these distinguish the 

 shells of this Genus from Murex ^ with which, however, they 

 agree in having an operculum, which with the canal at the 

 base of the aperture separate them from Valuta. The 

 several species which we have seen are covered with a 

 thickish horny epidermis. 



The Turbinellus Pyrunt ( Valuta Pyrum Linn.) from 

 which our engraving is taken, has the upper part of its 

 Volutions furnished with a few rather distant, not very 

 prominent tubercles, but some other species are covered 

 with several rows of very regularj rather close set, pro- 

 minent tubercles. 



In some of the species of this Genus a singular fact 

 may be observed, which seems to prove that the plicae on 

 the Columella are of considerable importance to the animal 

 inhabitant, and that some of the animals of the univalves 



