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Conus literatus
Dr. Eli de Carvalho Rios (Oceanographical Museum of Rio Grande do Sul) has informed me, that Mr. H. Matthews has discovered
two Pustularia surinamensis Perry (=bicallosa Gray) in the stomach do the fish "Pacamum" (Amphicthys cryptocentrus) caught on
March 30, 1966, in 15 fathoms off Fortaleza in the Brazilian province of Ceará. The photograph represents the fine
reddish-saffron shell now preserved in the collection of Dr. Rios (no. 11,160). See figs. figs. 1 and 2 above. The other
specimen is in coll. Matthews.
In the excellent paper on the variability of the West Australian cowry Zoila friendii (Journ. Malac. Soc. Austr. 9:3-24,
1966), B. R. Wilson and R. Summers have recorded an unique specimen from the northern limit of distribution: it has been
collected in 25 fathoms off False Entrance in Shark Bay. The shell's relative breadth (expressed in per cent of length) is
59: it agrees with the mean of 9 deep water friendii collected off Geraldton to Rottnest Is., and it is intermediate between
the "usual breadth" (i.e. the range of the central two thirds of shells) of friendii from the southernmost west coast of
Australia (52 to 56) and that of vercoi from its western south coast (61 to 68).
Meanwhile I have examined two other specimens collected in Shark Bay: The first shell, which has been figured above, is no.
798 in coll. A. Schelechoff (Brisbane, Qld.); its formula (length in mm, relative breadth, number of labial and columellar
teeth) is 71/66.25:18 (posterior columellar teeth obsolete). The second shell coming from "very deep water" in Shark Bay is
in coll. A. Kalnins (Maylands, W.A.); its formula is 67/68.28:24, the shell is not fully grown as the chestnut dorsal
markings are confused and cloudy, the margins are less dilated, the lateral spots very small, and the columellar teeth well
developed along the whole aperture.
Therefore, both specimens from Shark Bay are much broader than the friendii from False Entrance so that they look like
vercoi; besides the outer lip is crossed by brown striae which merge in the teeth so that the lip recalls thersites (in
Kalnins' shell the striae become confluent longitudinally in the central third of the lip, comparable to Erosaria guttata),
but the inner lip is uniformly blackish brown from the margin as far as to the aperture as it is in true friendii. After
discovery of some more specimens this northernmost deep water cline possibly will deserve a racial name.
Five specimens of [Cypraea] Notadusta superstes (Schilder, 1930) {Zool. Anz., 87:115} have recently been obtained by Mr. H.
C. Gay and Miss J. Pincott from dredgings at Tonga. The specimens were dredged at the new wharf site, 1-1/2 miles east of
Nukulalofa, in 0' - 30'; some of the specimens, although dead, are in a good condition.
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conus literatus
Shell
Bracelets
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