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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XXI, October 1967 
Oliva sericea (Roding 1798). Mus. Bolteni- 
anum, p. 33, sp. 390. 
Roding gave two references. One was to 
Martini (1773, pi. Ll, figs. 559, 56l), which 
obviously describes the species known to many 
as O. textilina Lamarck 1811. The other refer- 
ence is to Gmelin (1791, sp. 17, var. 88), 
based on Figure 489 of Martini (1773), and is, 
according to Pfeiffer (1840), an O. reticularis 
Lamarck, but it is probably O. tricolor Lamarck 
because of the black points which adorn the 
upper whorls. It is not O. sericea in any event. 
O. textilina Lamarck 1811 is in the synonymy 
of O. sericea (Roding 1798). In comparing 
O. sericea with O. tremulina Lamarck 1811 one 
notices that its columellar edge is adorned up 
to the top of the aperture by a thick callosity 
which spreads wide on the base, and that the 
columellar plaits are stronger and less numer- 
ous. Its pattern is composed of a multitude 
of very fine intercrossed lines which form a 
network. The bands also are composed of very 
fine and closely knit lines. Finally, the inside 
of the aperture, which is white in the back- 
ground and barely flesh-colored at the base of 
the columella and along the lip in O. tremulina, 
is entirely light yellow to slightly salmon in O. 
sericea. The species is well illustrated as O. 
textilina Lamarck 1811 by Reeve (1850, pi. 6, 
fig. 9, a.b.c.) . Tryon (1883, pi. 27, figs. 59, 60) 
figured the shell well, but in our opinion con- 
fused the species with his concept of O. irisans 
Lamarck 1811. Hirase (1938, 1951, ph 113, 
fig. 1) and Kira (1955, pi. 31, fig. 15) figured 
the species well as O. sericea. 
Specimens matching our concept of this 
species may be seen, bearing a monumental 
assortment of names, in most of the major col- 
lections. It is understandable that many are 
confused with O. tremulina Lamarck 1811. We 
noted a number of sets assigned to O. sabulosa 
Marrat 1868. We place this name in the 
synonymy. The comments of Ford (1953) on 
the Liverpool types may be of interest here: 
"Two possible syntypes. No locality. 52 mm. X 
22 mm., 40 mm. X 18 mm - I recently found 
these shells in a tray with the cut out descrip- 
tion of the species. They had not been seen by 
Tomlin. G. L. Wilkins has identified them as 
young specimens of O. sericea (Roding 1798).” 
A few of the described color forms of O. 
sericea follow. 
granitella Lamarck 1811. Ann. Mus. Hist. 
Nat. 16:314. 
Oliva granitella has been regarded by some au- 
thors as a distinct species, by others as a 
synonym of O. sericea, and by Ducros (1857) 
and Weinkauff (1878) as a variety of that 
species. In comparing the descriptions of 
Lamarck, one sees that there are no transverse 
bands in O. granitella, while O. sericea offers 
two transverse bands more or less marked, 
composed of little brown lines closed in zigzags 
and resembling the characters of script. One can 
thus suppose that O. granitella is a variety of 
O. sericea without the bands, but in the absence 
of all figuration this interpretation remains 
doubtful. 
albino. Melvill and Standen 1897. J. Con- 
chyl. 8:404. 
This form, designated as being ivory-white 
without other shell characters, may have been 
created for an albino specimen of O. sericea, as 
cases of albinism are known in many species of 
olives, but, to be sure of its determination, 
we must know in what sense O. sericea has 
been considered by Melvill and Standen. O. 
sericea, O. tremulina, O. ponderosa, etc. have 
often been considered forms of the same species. 
As for O. sericea var. albescens Johnson 1915, 
this can only be an albino form of O. lignaria 
Marrat 1868. Johnson stated that the spire is 
callous. 
Oliva lignaria Marrat 1868. Ann. Mag. Nat. 
Hist., 4th series, 2:212. 
The holotype is in the Liverpool Museum 
and was mentioned by Tomlin (1953). A set 
of Marrat’s types is in the collection of the ' 
Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia, 
no. 150597. These are presumably paratypes 
and are labelled as coming from Broome, 
Western Australia. It seems that the first au- 
thor to recognize the distinctive characters of 
this species was Ford (1891), in his description 
of O. cryptospira Ford 1891. It is to be re- 
gretted that this name must fall into the 
synonymy. The synonymy (as well as color 
forms) is extensive, but the two names given 
