New Gastropoda from Western Pacific — Rehder 
183 
tross I” Sta. 5301, 20° 37' N, 115° 43' E, 
gray mud and sand bottom. August 8, 1908. 
measurements: 
SPECIMEN LENGTH WIDTH 
Holotype (usnm 237018) 53.9 mm 28.5 mm 
Paratype (usnm 637251) 60.95 mm 29.6 mm 
Turbinellidae Swainson, 1840 
synonyms: Ptychatractidae Stimpson, 1865; 
Xancidae Woodring, 1928 
Benthovoluta Kuroda and Habe, 1950 
Kuroda, T. and T. Habe, 1950:37. 
Kuroda, T., 1965:50-52. 
Figs. 1 and 2. Sigaluta pratasensis n. gen., n. 
sp.; approx. X %• 1, Paratype. 2, Holotype. 
Fig. 3. Sigaluta pratasensis n. gen., n. sp.; 
apical view; approx. X %• 
TYPE SPECIES, BY ORIGINAL DESIGNATION: 
Phenacoptygma ? kiiensis Kuroda (=V oluta 
hilgendorp von Martens, 1897). 
Kuroda (1931:48) described the type species, 
under the name Phenacoptygma kiiensis, locat- 
ing it doubtfully in that eastern Pacific genus 
and suggesting that "Mitra” plicifera Yoko- 
yama (Yokoyama, 1920:48) from a Pliocene 
formation near Tokyo Bay was related. In 1950 
Kuroda and Habe, in proposing the new genus 
Benthovoluta, placed kiiensis Kuroda in the 
synonymy of V oluta hilgendorp von Martens, 
although designating P. kiiensis as the type 
species of the genus. At the same time they 
listed "Mitra” plicifera Yokoyama as an addi- 
tional synonym of hilgendorp. Judging from 
the figure and description of the Pliocene 
plicifera, I would suggest that it represents a 
distinct species, with more numerous axial ribs 
on the spire whorls, which are less convex than 
in hilgendorp. 
The species described below seems to repre- 
sent a third species of this genus, although 
without a knowledge of its soft parts its alloca- 
tion to this group must be largely speculative. 
Habe (1952:132) depicted the radulae of a 
number of Japanese marine mollusks without 
comments. Among them was a figure of the 
teeth of Benthovoluta hilgendorp. Kuroda 
(1965:50-51) called attention to the fact that 
Habe’s figure is unlike that of any volutid 
radula and suggested that Benthovoluta be 
placed in the family Turbinellidae, near Metz- 
geria Norman, 1879, a monotypic boreal genus. 
A comparison of Sars’ figure (Sars, 1878, pi. 
Fig. 4. Sigaluta pratasensis n. gen., n. sp.; view 
showing columella fold; approx. X %• 
