Micronesian Gastropods — Demond 
321 
Fig. 32. Latirus barclayi (Reeve). Guam, Mariana 
Islands (USNM 487445). 
Genus Peristernia Morch, 1852 
Peristernia chlorostoma (Wood, 1828). 
Tinker (1952) p. 76, 3 figs, on p. 77. 
Characteristically 0.75 to 1 inch long with 
a canary yellow aperture. 
P. chlorostoma lives on seaward and lagoon 
reef flats, both windward and leeward, among 
rocks and loose coral, in tide pools, and on 
the sandy-rocky reef surface. It is most com- 
monly found near low tide line on seaward 
reef flats, just shoreward of the reef edge. 
geographic range: Apparently limited to 
the Pacific. USNM records are from the Mar- 
shall, Phoenix, Samoan, and Tuamotu islands 
only. Reported from Hawaii. There are many 
USNM specimens from the Marshall Islands, 
but none from elsewhere in Micronesia. 
Peristernia nassatula (Lamarck, 1822). 
Hirase and Taki (1951) pi. 100, fig. 5. 
Characteristically 1.25 to 1.5 inches long 
with a violet aperture. 
P. nassatula ordinarily lives in rock crevices 
on seaward reef flats. However, one specimen 
in the recent Micronesian collections was 
taken by Cloud at night on the intertidal 
lagoon sand flats of Uliga Island, Majuro 
Atoll. 
geographic range: USNM collections are 
from Cocos-Keeling Atoll in the Indian 
Ocean eastward through the Pacific to the 
Society and Tuamotu islands, and from south- 
ern Japan, the Philippine and Mariana islands 
south to the Loyalty Islands and Fiji. Fairly 
common in Micronesia. There are USNM 
specimens from the Line Islands, but none 
from Hawaii. Reported from the Great Barrier 
Reef, Australia. 
Family MITRIDAE— Miter Shells 
Genus Mitra Lamarck, 1799 
Mitra {Mitra) mitra (Linne, 1758) (syn. epis- 
copalis Linne, 1758). 
Hirase and Taki (1951) pi. 100, fig. 13; 
Tinker (1952) p. 52, figs, on p. 53 [as 
M. episcopalis Linne]. 
The largest Mitra in the Indo-Pacific, com- 
monly attaining a length of 6 inches. Shell 
smooth and white with conspicuous orange 
spots. 
M. mitra typically lives on sandy lagoon 
shores in shallow water but is also found in 
sand pockets on shallow seaward reef flats. 
It ordinarily remains buried during the day 
and is active at night. 
geographic range: USNM collections are 
from East Africa throughout the Indian and 
Pacific oceans to the Society and Tuamotu 
islands, and from the Ryukyu and Hawaiian 
islands south to the Great Barrier Reef, Aus- 
tralia, and New Caledonia. Common in Mi- 
cronesia. Reported from southern Japan. 
Mitra {Mitra) stictica (Link, 1807) (syn. ponti- 
ficals Lamarck, 1811; thiara Wood, 1825). 
Hirase and Taki (1951) pi. 100, fig. 12; 
Tinker (1952) p. 54, 3 figs, on p. 55. 
Characteristically 2.5 to 3 inches long, 
white with squarish orange-colored blocks, 
and nodulose below the sutures. 
Ordinarily lives in sand pockets on seaward 
reef flats, slightly below low tide line. Also 
found at depths of 5 to 15 feet in grooves 
