242 
MARINE SHELLS OF WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA 
Family CYMATIIDAE 
Genus ARGOBUCCINUM Morch, 1852 
Stout, dull-colored shells with dense periostracum, spiral sculpture, 
few and inconspicuous, irregularly placed varices, and a short canal. 
(Dali.) 
Type. Ranella vexillum Broderip. 
Distribution. Bering Sea to San Diego, California, to Chile. 
Subgenus Fusitriton Cossmann, 1903 
Argobuccinum oregonensis Redfield, 1848 
Plate 37, figs. 1, 2, 3 
Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of Nezv York, 4:165; PL 11, fig. 2, a, b. 
Testa fusiform, elongata, tenui, albida, epidermide hirsuta fusca in- 
duta; anfractibus rotundatis; plicis longitudinalibus, costis et sulcis trans- 
versis valde decussatis; varicibus exilibus; apertura ovata, canalicula, alba. 
Shell fusiform, elongate; thin, whitish, covered with a rough hairy, 
brown epidermis; the whorls are rounded, with from 18 to 25 longitudinal 
folds which are cancellated by transverse ribs and furrows. There are four 
or five of these ribs on each of the upper whorls, and each rib is divided 
by a slight furrow, while the intervening hollows are in like manner divided 
by a slight ridge. The last whorl has from 10 to 15 transverse ribs, and 
their bifid character is not so conspicuous as upon the upper whorls. 
The varices are about 12 in number, not prominent, and are crossed by 
the ribs already mentioned. Aperture ovate, elongate, extending down¬ 
ward into an open canal; the exterior ribs and folds plainly visible within. 
When mature the right lip is slightly thickened into a varix. The columella 
shows upon its upper part the transverse ridges of the shell; the lower 
portion is smooth and somewhat twisted; a slight umbilical trace is seen 
where the pillar lip is applied to the base of the shell. Length, 4.25; 
breadth, 2 in. (Redfield.) 
Type in cabinet of Dr. B. W. Budd, Cabinet of Naval Lyceum, 
Brooklyn, New York. Type locality, Straits of Juan de Fuca. I am 
indebted to Dr. Budd for the opportunity of describing this curious shell. 
In form it resembles the Fusus antiquus (Lin.) Lam. It is very nearly 
allied to T. cancellatum Lam. and to T. scabrum King, but is readily dis¬ 
tinguished from the former by the absence of the elevated tooth or ridge 
which is found upon the upper portion of the columella in that species, 
while from T. scabrum it is distinguished by its greater size, its elongation, 
the rounded character of its whorls, its longer canal, and its more promi- 
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