Zoological Illustrations/VolII-Pl88
MITRA caffra,
Brown white-banded Mitre.
Generic Character.—See Pl. 23.
Specific Character.
- M. (div. 1.) fusiformis, rufo-fuscata, albo fasciata, lævis, spirâ plicato-striatâ, basi rugosâ, columellâ quadriplicatâ.—Lamarck.
- Shell fusiform, reddish brown, with whitish bands; smooth; spire plaited and striated; base rugose; pillar 4 plaited.
- Voluta caffra. Gmelin. 3451. Martini 4. tab. 148. f. 1370.? Dill. p. 545.
- Mitra caffra. Lamarck. Ann. du Mus. vol. vii. p. 208. no. 30.
It is not improbable that Mitra bifasciata, (Zool. Ill. pl. 35.) may eventually be considered only a variety of the shell here figured, which accords much closer with the characters given of the Linnæan M. caffra, than any other; the two shells, however, at the first glance, have a widely different appearance; yet not more so, than the smooth and plaited varieties of Strombus vittatus Lin. I have therefore retained the character given by Lamarck, as the best method to be followed in doubtful cases. In this shell, the plaits commence halfway round the body whirl; they are obtuse, crowded, and not angulated near the suture; the striæ between are fine and decidedly marked; the base half of the shell strongly grooved; the suture rather compressed; the channel short and not recurved, and the aperture striated.
MITRA crassa
Thick Mitre—upper and lower figures.
- M. (div. 3.) testâ lævi, mediâ crassâ, fuscâ, fasciâ angustâ sub-albâ ornatâ; spirâ striatâ, striis intus punctatis; labio exteriore dentato; columellâ 5 plicatâ.
- Shell smooth, thick in the middle, brown, with a narrow whitish band; spire striated, the striæ with internal punctures: outer lip crenated; pillar 5 plaited.
A species evidently unknown to Lamarck; the upper margin of each whorl is thick and projecting; the striæ on the body whorl are nearly obsolete, but on the spire become deep, remote, and having internally minute hollow dots; the inner margin of the exterior lip is strongly crenated, the aperture smooth, and the pillar with five strong teeth. I believe it was brought from the South Seas.