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OVULIDAE
183

Neosimnia avena Sowerby Western Chubby Simnia Plate 7g

Monterey, California, to Panama.

/4 inch in length, oblong, with short extremities. Lower end of the aperture wide, upper end narrow where the columella has a spiral swelling. Inner and lower part of the columella with a long, light-colored ridge. Exte- rior of whorls with numerous, microscopic, wavy, incised scratches. Color mauve to deep-rose with the varix and extremities a lighter pink. Rare in California, uncommon southward. 5. smilis Sowerby is probably this species.

Neosimnia loebbeckeana Weinkauff Loebbeck's Simnia Plate yi

Monterey, California, to the Gulf of California.

% inch in length, translucent yellowish, rather fragile, and fusiform in shape with the extremities narrow and the middle gently swollen. Columella rounded, usually smoothish, but sometimes with a hint of flattening and sub- sequent thickening of the lower part of the columella. Upper end of the columella with a weak, spiral fold. Two subspecies have been described {barbarefisis Dall and catalinensis Berry) but their distinctiveness has not been clearly demonstrated as yet. Not uncommonly dredged in association with seafans from 20 to 50 fathoms.

NeosiTtmia inflexa Sowerby Inflexed Simnia Plate 7h

Monterey, California, to Panama.

% inch in length, a very vivid and dark lavender-rose or reddish purple. Shell elongate; columella flattened, bordered within and also somewhat on the body whorl by a long, axial, lighter-colored ridge. N. variabilis Carpenter is this species, and detailed studies of the animals may also show that N. aequalis Sowerby is a synonym.

Genus Cyphoma Roding 1798

Cyphoma gibbosum Linne Flamingo Tongue Plates 8; 4r

North Carolina to southeast Florida and the West Indies.

% to I inch in length, glossy-smooth, chubby, and colored a rich cream- orange to apricot-buff except for a small whitish rectangle on the back. Callus on sides of shell indistinct and extending high up on the back with poorly defined edges. Mantle of animal pale-flesh with numerous squarish, black rings. Fairly common on gorgonians below low water.