

NeW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 260 March 1980 Page 7 
and the margins are somewhat darker in color th 
Me tines. thocducee ee their foiathtis ty caer esol 
ag- : ee fe) his shell are fine 
quite strongly developed. MTheir color is penetstent wimeeet iar 
of the base but they are frosted on their surfaces with a darker 
reddish brown. The color on the teeth is one of the distinguishing 
features of the species and one of the quickest ways to separate it 
from GC. musumea. There are 34 teeth on the columellar side, strong- 
est nearest the anterior end. No fossula is present on the columel- 
la, and the teeth continue well onto the columella. The teeth near- 
est the anterior canal seem to be developed more strongly than those 
nearest the posterior canal. There are 28 labial teeth, uniformly 
and more strongly developed than the teeth on the columellar side. 
The aperture is straight from the anterior canal for most of its 
length, curving Slightly towards the columella near the posterior 
end. The spire is deeply recessed with almost an umbilicate appear- 
ance and is well glazed over by the columellar callus. 
It is surprising to find in the book "Cowries" by Taylor and Walls 
(1975), on page 240, a Cypraea called Cypraea musumea Kuroda (should 
be Kuroda and Habe) which has Ae cine Tock le telaier we its teeth. 
Since this is a trait that is found in Cypraea katsuae but not in 
Cypraea musumea, one must wonder if the authors of this book have 
not incorrectly identified this rare shell. It is impossible to 
tell from the photograph if a fossula is present on the columella, 
since this, too, is a distinguishing feature: C. musumea has a dis- 
tinct fossula, C. katsuae does not. In the same book, on page 260 
(which is unnumbered) is illustrated a very badly decayed specimen 
of what appears to be Cypraea katsuae. To be sure, there are a 
great deal of similarities between these two species, but there are 
also very consistent differences which, even in the small number of 
specimens that have been studied, make me feel that the two species 
are distinct and readily separable from one another. 
I am particularly pleased to have been able to examine this shell, 
since it has led to my appreciation of a species that I have other- 
wise ignored. 

Cypraea katsuae Kuroda, 1960, Taiwan Straits (2X) 
In the collection of Mrs. Waverley Harmon, 
New York City 
Photograph by Robert H. Janowsky 
ae 
