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250 American Seashells
Family VOLUTIDAE
Subfamily VOLUTINAE
Genus Voluta Linne 1758
Valuta musica Linne Common Music Volute
Caribbean area.
Plate i3g
2 to 2% inches in length, heavy and with a polished finish. 3 nuclear
whorls bulbous and yellowish. 3 postnuclear whorls plicate at the shoulder.
Columella with about 9 evenly spaced folds. Characterized by the pinkish
cream background and 2 to 3 spiral bands of fine lines which are dotted with
darker brown (the musical notes). A moderately common West Indian
species not found in the United States, but a favorite with collectors. A num-
ber of useless names have been applied to the numerous variations of this
species. This is one of the few volutes to have an operculum.
Voluta virescens Solander Green Music Volute
Lower Florida Keys (rare) and the Caribbean.
2 inches in length, moderately heavy with the aperture % the total
length of the shell. Whorls flat-sided and with weak, axial nodules high on
the shoulder. Numerous spiral, incised lines and fine threads present. Columella
with about a dozen folds of variable sizes. Exterior dull greenish brown
with weak, narrow, spiral bands of lighter color dotted with black-brown.
Aperture pale cream to gray within. A rare species in southeast Florida, but
not uncommon along the northern coast of South America.
Subjamily SCAPHELLINAE
Genus Scaphella Swainson 1832
Scaphella junonia Shaw The Junonia
North Carolina to both sides of Florida to Texas.
Plate i3f
5 to 6 inches in length, rather solid and smooth. 4 folds on the colu-
mella. Characterized by the cream background and the spiral rows of small
reddish brown dots. Moderately common from i to 30 fathoms, but rarely
washed ashore. A golden form occurs off Alabama (subspecies johnstoneae
Clench 1953) and specimens from Yucatan have a white background with
smaller spots (subspecies Imtleri Clench 1953). About 50 specimens a year
are found on west Florida beaches, and many more are brought in by fisher-
men.