Zoological Illustrations/VolI-Pl10
STROMBUS.
Generic Character.
- Testa ventricosa; basis canali brevi, truncato vel emarginato; labium exterius simpliciter alatum, ala ad basin inferne emarginata; suprà dilatata.
- Animal marinum, carnivorum, trachelipodum; corpore spirali; pede compresso ad cervicis basin inferiorem. Leach in Zool. Misc. vol. i. p. 51.
Typus Genericus S. pugilis. Linn.
- Shell ventricose; base with a short canal, which is either emarginate or truncate; external lip dilated into a simple wing, notched at the base, and prominent above.
- Animal marine, carnivorous; body spiral, with a compressed foot at the inferior base of the neck.
Generic Type S. pugilis. Linn.
STROMBUS minimus.
Little Strombus—central figures.
- S. testâ nodosè plicatâ; spirâ subtilissimè striatâ; labio interiore reflecto, incrassato, suprà obtusè-acuminato; exteriore intrà lævi, suprà altè-lobato, anfractui secundo spirali adjuncto.
- Shell with nodulous plaits; the spire finely striated; inner lip thickened and reflected, and obtusely pointed above. Outer lip smooth within, deeply lobed above, attached to the second spiral volution.
- Lister 859. 15. Chemnitz. tab. 156. fig. 1491, 1492. Rumph. tab. 36, P. Gualtieri, tab. 32, G.
- Strombus marginatus. Dillwyn's Cat. p. 665. no. 18.
A pretty and diminutive species, scarcely ever more than one inch three lines long. The spire long in proportion, and occupying half an inch: when in perfection the colour is a deep chesnut, minutely broken into finely serrated darker lines, with one, two, or three interrupted bands of white on the body whorl, the spire, and margin of the outer lip paler; there are two or three nodules above; and the spiral volutions have the carinated row of tubercles usual in the Strombi, and are besides finely striated transversely. The base of the shell is more deeply and distinctly striated; both the lips are much thickened, tumid, white, and highly polished; terminating above in obtuse points on the second spiral whorl, leaving a narrow ascending channel between; the inside of the aperture is a fine yellow.
Inhabits the Indian seas, but is not common.
By some unaccountable oversight, Mr. Dillwyn has very well described this shell, but under the name and supposition of its being the S. marginatus of Linnæus; though a few pages after he brings all the true synonyms referring to his shell, under a description purporting to be that of S. minimus, but which in reality is more applicable to our next species. Why this writer should doubt the correctness of Gmelin, Chemnitz, &c. respecting the true S. marginatus of Linnæus, does not appear, particularly as he has substituted for it a well known species. I have little doubt myself they all mean one and the same shell, which is nothing more than a scarce variety of S. accinctus, now before me, with which Linnæus's original description pretty well agrees.
STROMBUS variabilis.
Variable Strombus—upper figure.
- S. testâ nodosè plicatâ, spirâ striis nullis; labio interiore simplice, exteriore reflecto, intrà lævi, suprà leviter lobato.
- Shell with nodulous plaits, the spire not striated. Inner lip simple. Outer lip reflected, smooth within, and slightly lobed above.
Shell two inches and a quarter long, the spire occupying little more than half an inch. The ground colour generally is white with numerous undulated short lines of a darker colour, sometimes crossed by four or five obsolete whitish bands: it approaches very near S. minimus, but is easily distinguished by being in general much larger, by having the inner lip not at all thickened above, the outer lip very slightly lobed, and only advancing on the first volution of the spire: it varies, however, amazingly in colour. There is a small variety, having a brown spot beneath, from India; and others (labelled from the So. Seas) in the Banksian collection, also small, are purplish-brown, with three or four well-defined bands of white: the aperture is always pure white.