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living in sand pockets on windward ocean 
reef Eats. USNM specimens from Hawaii, 
however, were dredged from depths of 30 to 
300 feet off Honolulu Harbor and Waikiki 
Beach. C. columna is also common in the 
lagoon at Pulo Panjang, Cocos-Keeling Atoll 
(Abbott, 1950), and on the reefs of northern 
Australia (Allan, 1950). 
GEOGRAPHIC range: USNM collections 
are distributed from Mauritius eastward 
through the Indian and Pacific oceans to the 
Hawaiian and Tuamotu islands, and from 
southern Japan south to northern Australia. 
A common species in Micronesia. 
Cerithium morus Bruguiere, 1792. 
Characteristically about one inch long, 
rather inflated, and strongly granulose. Shell 
dark brown or black. Aperture white. The 
recent Micronesian collections contain only 
four specimens, all of which were found among 
intertidal rocks at Tomil Harbor beach, Yap. 
Fig. 8. Cerithium morus Bruguiere. Guam, Mariana 
Islands (USNM 585837). 
geographic range: USNM collections 
are distributed from Mauritius and the east 
coast of India eastward through the Indian 
and Pacific oceans to the Hawaiian and Tua- 
motu islands, and from the Philippine and 
Mariana islands south to Borneo, the Solo- 
mon Islands, and Fiji. Not reported from 
Australia or southern Japan. Uncommon in 
Micronesia. 
Cerithium nassoides Sowerby, 1855 (syn. macu- 
losum Mighels, 1845). 
Tinker (1952) p. 170, 2 figs, on p. 171 
[as C. maculosum Mighels]. 
Characteristically less than one-half inch 
long and white with scattered brown spots 
of varying size. 
Only one specimen in the recent Microne- 
sian collections was taken alive. It was found 
in a sand pocket among small reefs at a depth 
of 10 to 20 feet in the lagoon entrance west 
of Saipan. Dead specimens were taken from 
seaward reef flats at Eniwetok and Rongelap. 
GEOGRAPHIC range: Apparently limited to 
the Pacific and fairly common in Micronesia. 
USNM records are from the Mariana, Mar- 
shall, Loyalty, Tuamotu, and Hawaiian is- 
lands only. Reported from southern Japan 
but not from Australia. 
Cerithium nodulosum Bruguiere, 1792. 
Hirase and Taki (1951) pi. 83, fig. 8; Kira 
(1955) pi. 12, fig. 22. 
The largest Indo-Pacific Cerithium , char- 
acteristically 3 to 4.5 inches long. 
Lives among sand and rocks on seaward 
reef flats, ordinarily just shoreward of the reef 
edge. Also found in channels between reef 
segments and on small lagoon reefs. Invari- 
ably occurs below low tide line, commonly in 
a few feet of water but occasionally at depths 
of 10 feet or more. 
geographic range: USNM records are 
distributed from Mauritius eastward through- 
out the Indian and Pacific oceans to the So- 
ciety Islands, and from the Ryukyu, Mariana, 
and Marshall islands south to New Caledonia. 
Reported from northern Australia but not 
from southern Japan or Hawaii. Fairly com- 
mon in Micronesia. 
Cerithium salehrosum Sowerby, 1855. 
Characteristically one inch or less long, 
slender and sharply sculptured with strong 
axial ribs crossed by spiral cords. Shell and 
aperture white. Ordinarily lives on sandy la- 
goon slopes and floors at depths of about 
5 to 200 feet. Occasionally taken on small 
reefs of sandy lagoon. Apparently not found 
on seaward reef flats or above low tide line. 
