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MURICIDAE 205
completely. A deep water form, M. celhilosiis levimilus Dall (pi. 25J), of
more delicate sculpturing and with brown markings, is found off the coast
of North Carolina and eastern Florida. An inch-long, chubby subspecies,
nuceus Morch (pi. 251), with a shorter and wider siphonal canal and heavily
scaled varices, occurs in the West Indies but has been collected by Dr. J. S.
Schwengel on Tea Table Key, Lower Florida Keys, and off Fort Walton
by Mr. L. A. Burry,
Subgenus Pterynotus Swainson 1833
Section Pteropurpura Jousseaume 1880
Murex bequaerti Clench and Farfante Bequaert's Murex
North Carolina south to Key W'est.
1 to 2% inches in length. Spire high. No spines. Each varix is a high,
rounded, thin plate or web. Between these varical webs there is a single,
low, rounded nob. Color a uniform cream-white. A bizarre species which
is the least spinose of our American forms. It is being collected in dredging
operations along the west coast of Florida in increasing numbers, although it
remains a rarity. It was named after one of our foremost malacologists at
Harvard University, Dr. Joseph C. Bequaert. Dall identified this species as
Murex macropterus Desh.
Murex trialatus Sowerby Western Three-winged Murex
Northern California to Lower California.
Figure 45c
2 to 3 inches in length, with 3 large, wavy, wing-like varices per whorl.
Siphonal canal closed along its length. The body whorl between each varix
is smoothish, with or without one low, rounded tubercle, and sometimes with
2 to 5 weak, spiral cords or threads. Anterior face of each varix with fine,
crowded, axial fimbriations. Color grayish, dark- or light-brown, or with
white spiral bands.
Typical trialatus from southern California and Lower California reaches
a length of 3 inches, is generally dark chestnut to blackish brown with 4 to 6
narrow white bands, and has very fine spiral threads which are sometimes
scaled, beaded or smooth.
The subspecies carpenter! Dall (fig. 45c)
—
tremperi Dall and petri Dall
are ecological forms or color varieties, as is the all-white alba Berry—has
larger wings which are smooth on the posterior face. The color is generally
light yellowish brown, all-white or with 2 wide white bands. Common off-
shore.