smooth, dark-brown. Outer lip turned back, slightly thickened and with its inner edge crenulated. Color white to light-cream, with the ridges straw- yellow. Periostracum thin and light yellowish brown. No operculum in adults. Uncommon from 96 to 300 fathoms. Very rare in private collections.
Family FICIDAE
Genus Ficus Roding 1798
Ficus communis Roding Common Fig Shell Plate 9!
North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico. The Bahamas.
3 to 4 inches in length, thin, rather fragile, and with spiral threads which are sometimes made reticulate by axial threads. Uncommon, except on the west coast of Florida where it is washed ashore in great numbers. No oper- culum present. Formerly known as Pyrula and Ficus papyratia Say, but the latter name is preceded by two earlier names, communis Roding 1798 and reticulata Lamarck 1816 (as well as 1822). Carol's Fig Shell (named after Mrs. Richard W. Foster), Ficus carolae Clench, is very rare, and is irregularly spotted with reddish brown on the inside of the shell. It was first discovered by Mr. Leo L. Burry of Sarasota off Key Largo, Florida, in 100 fathoms.
Order NEOGASTROPODA Superjamily MURICACEA Family MURICIDAE Subfa7mly RAPANINAE Genus Forreria Jousseaume 1880
Forreria belcheri Hinds Giant Forreria Plate 24)
Morro Bay, California, to Lower California.
3 to 6 inches in length, solid, smoothish, cream-brown; surface with 10 prominent, pointed, scale-like spines on the shoulder of each whorl. These are the tops of the varices which flatten out and are welded closely to the lower part of the whorl. Former siphonal canals prominent to the left of a narrow, not deep umbilicus. Interior enamel-white. Common in intertidal areas near oyster bars. Also down to 15 fathoms.
Subgenus Austrotrophon Dall 1902
Forreria cerrosensis cerrosensis Dall Cerros Forreria
Off southern Lower California. Figure 44a, b
