% to % inch in length, similar to grns, but with prominent scales, 4 to 5 brown, zebra stripes on the escutcheon, with a white lunule, and the teeth purple only on the posterior half of the hinge. Beaks commonly pink. In- terior all white. Fairly common in shallow water. Subgenus Lirophora Conrad 1863 Chione paphia Linne King Venus Plate 39a Lower Florida Keys and the West Indies. 1% inches in length, similar to latilirata, but not so heavy, with 10 to 12 smaller, concentric ribs which are thin at their ends. From a side view, the dorsal margin of the lunule is very concave. Not very common in the United States. Chione latilirata Conrad Imperial Venus Plate 39c North Carolina to Florida and to Texas. I inch in length, very thick and solid, with 5 to 7 large, bulbous, con- centric ribs, usually rounded, but may also be sharply shelved on top. The ribs are not thin and flattened at their ends. Lunule heart-shaped, and, from a side view, its dorsal margin is almost straight. Surface of shell glossy, cream with rose and brown mottlings. Rather uncommon offshore in about 20 fathoms. Genus Aiiovralocardia Schumacher 18 17 Anomalocardia cuneimeris Conrad Pointed Venus Plate 39) South half of Florida to Texas. % to % inch in length, about % to ^ as high, pointed into a sharp, wedge-like rostrum at the posterior end. Lunule oval to slightly heart-shaped and faintly impressed. Wide, shallow escutcheon bordered by a weak ridge. Beaks tiny and inrolled. Sculpture of small, but distinct, rounded, concentric ribs which are more prominent near the beaks. Color variable: glossy-cream, white or tan with brown or purple rays of fine specklings. Interior white, purple or brown. Brackish water specimens are dwarfed. A common sandy shore species. A. brasiliana Gmelin (West Indian Pointed Venus) which is twice as large, less elongate, and with the concentric ribs extending over into the escutcheon area, has been erroneously reported from the United States. Common in the West Indies and south to Brazil.
