Turbinelliidae TURBINELLIIDAE(= Vasidae)

Vase shells

Diagnostic characters: Shell thick andheavy, biconical to fusiform, generally

roughly sculptured. Outer sculpture mainly spi-ral, often nodulose to spinose on shoulder.Periostracum conspicuous. Siphonal canalpresent, long to short. Inner lip of aperturemostly with several strong folds. Operculumthick and corneous, claw-like with a terminalnucleus. Head small, with a long snout and eyesat the outer bases of tentacles. Foot broad,sometimes bifid anteriorly.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Most commonin littoral to shallow tropical and subtropical wa-ters, on reefs, coral rubble or sandy botttoms.Carnivorous animals, preying on clams, sipun-culid or polychaete worms. Sexes separate, fer-tilization internal. Eggs laid in series of thick,horny capsules, forming ribbons or twistedmasses. Vase shells are commonly collected forfood by coastal peoples and their thick shells areused as a source of lime or as ornaments.Remarks: Since recently, the gigantic speciesSyrinx aruanus has been considered as a rep-resentative of the Melongenidae. However, itsanatomical and radular features prove it belongsto the Turbinellidae.

Similar families occurring in the areaMelongenidae: shell features very similar to those of Syrinxaruanus; the latter species can be distinguished by its size,as being the largest living gastropod of the world; youngstages are characterized by the very tall, turret-shaped em-bryonic shell on the apex (usually lost in adult stages).Muricidae (Rapaninae): columellar folds absent. No perios-tracum.

Key to species of interest to fisheries occurring in the area1a. Shell very large (up to 80 cm in length),

fusiform in shape; siphonal canal long andnarrow; columellar folds absent (Fig. 1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syrinx aruanus

1b. Shell rather small (up to 16 cm in length),biconical in shape; siphonal canal shortand broad; columellar folds present . . . . . . . . → 2

siphonalcanal

ventral view

bluntspines

strongcolumellar

folds

ventral view

columellanot folded

Muricidae (Rapaninae)

siphonalcanal long

Fig. 1 Syrinx aruanus (ventral view)

Turbinelliidae 603

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2a. Spire relatively high; 3 equal-sized columellar folds (Fig. 2) . . . . . . . . . . . .Vasum ceramicum2b. Spire relatively low; 4 or 5 unequal columellar folds (Fig. 3) . . . . . . . . . . . .Vasum turbinellus

List of species of interest to fisheries occurring in the areaThe symbol� is given when species accounts are included.

� Syrinx aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758)

� Vasum ceramicum (Linnaeus, 1758)� Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)

ReferencesAbbott, R.T. 1959. The family Vasidae in the Indo-Pacific. Indo-Pac. Moll., 1(1):15-32.Harasewich, M.G. and R.E. Petit. 1989. The nomenclatural status and phylogenetic affinities of Syrinx aruanus Linné,

1758 (Prosobranchia: Turbinellidae). Nautilus, 103(2):83-84.

Fig. 2 Vasum ceramicum(ventral view)

Fig. 3 Vasum turbinellus(ventral view)

604 Gastropods

Syrinx aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Megalatractus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) / None.FAO names: En - Australian trumpet; Fr - Trompette australienne.

Diagnostic characters: Shell reaching an extremely large size (up to 80 cm in length), fusiform inshape, with a moderately low to high conical spire and long siphonal canal. Apex of the spire with avery tall, turret-shaped embryonic shell, of about 5 rounded whorls and usually lost in adults. Spirewhorls strongly slanting, each with a wide, straight-sided to slightly concave slope above the angularshoulder, which may bear a row of low, rounded nodules. Body whorl moderately inflated, somewhatangulate at the base. Whole surface of shell covered with fine spiral cords, a few of which appear slightlycoarser on body whorl, anterior to shoulder.Periostracum thick. Aperture wide, irregularly ovate, smoothwithin outer and inner lips. Columellar folds absent. Umbilicus represented by an elongate slit. Anteriorsiphonal canal rather narrow and straight, broadly open. Colour: exterior and interior of shell unicolorousapricot, fading to creamy yellow. Periostracum brown.Size: Maximum shell length 80 cm, commonly to 60 cm.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: On sandy bottoms. Intertidal and sublittoral zones, to a depth of about30 m. Feeds on sedentary polychaete worms. Traditionally fished for its gigantic shell and edible flesh. Oncecommon on intertidal and shallow subtidal sand flats in northern Australia, this species has suffered fromfrequent local overcollecting. Deeper populations seem to occur in the northern part of its geographicalrange.Distribution: Restricted tonorthern half of Australia andadjacent areas.

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

ventral view ofjuvenile shell

embryonicshell

(after Wilson and Gillett, 1971)

Turbinelliidae 605

Vasum ceramicum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Turbinellus spinosus G. Fischer, 1807 / Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Ceram vase; Fr - Turbinelle épineuse.Maximum shell length 16 cm, commonly to 12 cm. On shallow reefs. Intertidal and shallow sublittoralzones, to a depth of about 20 m. The flesh is used as food or as bait by fishermen, and the thickshell as a source of lime. It is also sold for shell collections. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific,from East Africa, including Madagascar and Sri Lanka, but apparently not in the Red Sea nor thePersian Gulf, to eastern Polynesia; north to southern Japan and south to Queensland and NewCaledonia.

Vasum turbinellus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Turbinella cornigera Lamarck, 1822; T. variolaris Lamarck, 1822 / None.

En - Top vase; Fr - Turbinelle cornue.Maximum shell length 10 cm, commonly to 8 cm. On rocky bottoms; common on reef flats. Intertidaland shallow subtidal waters. Collected for subsistence or bait. Shell used in shellcrafts. Widespreadin the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa, including Madagascar and the Red Sea, to westernPolynesia; north to southern Japan and south to northern Queensland and New Caledonia.

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

ventral view

(after Sharabati, 1984)

606 Gastropods

Olividae OLIVIDAE

Olive shells

Diagnostic characters: Shell thick and porcelaneous, elongate-ovate, with a short spire, a large body whorl and usually

deeply channeled sutures. Surface smooth, highly polished andoften vividly coloured. No periostracum. Aperture elongate, with awide and short anterior siphonal canal and an indistinct posteriornotch. Outer lip slightly thickened in adult stage, smooth. Inner lipcalloused, often with fine transverse lirae, and with oblique, co-lumellar grooves anteriorly. Columellar callus usually borderedposteriorly by a distinct, calloused spiral band. Operculum absent.Head broad but poorly defined, with an extensible snout and reducedtentacles. Eyes small to absent. Foot large and wide, with a distinct,more or less triangular to shield shaped anterior part. Posterior partof the foot voluminous, partially reflecting over the shell when ex-panded. Mantle with a long, cylindrical fleshy siphon anteriorly.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Sand-dwelling, active animals,inhabiting the intertidal and shallow sublittoral areas of most tropicalor subtropical seas.Crawl on top of the substrate, or most commonlybelow the surface, with only the tip of the fleshy siphon exposed,leaving a characteristic trail. Carnivores or scavengers, mostly feed-ing on various invertebrates which are captured and held with thelarge foot. Sexes separate, fertilization internal. Eggs released insmall capsules which may be free-floating, attached together andhalf buried in the sediment, or even fixed with mucus to the shell ofa living, burrowing bivalve.Though sometimes collected for food, olives are mostly sought fortheir glossy and vividly coloured shells which are much favouredby shell collectors. To find olives, fishermen commonly look fortheir conspicuous trails in the sand, or bait them with fish remainsor other rotting meat. No precise data have been found about thecommercialisation of most species of Olividae that are collectedin the area.

Similar families occurring in the areaMarginellidae: columella with 3 or 4 strong oblique folds, mostprominent anteriorly.

Key to species of interest to fisheries occurring in the area1a. Spire relatively low to depressed; body whorl

calloused at the posterior end . . . . . . . . . . . . . → 41b. Spire relatively high and conical; body whorl

not calloused at the posterior end . . . . . . . . . . . → 2

2a. Shell relatively small (up to 4 cm in length);inner lip lirae confined to the anterior halfof aperture (Fig. 1) . . . . . . . . .Oliva oliva

2b. Shell relatively large (up to 6 cm in length);inner lip lirae extending on the posteriorhalf of aperture (Fig. 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . → 3

ventral view

columellastronglyfolded

Marginellidae

apertureelongate

ventral view

inner lipcalloused

siphonal canal

columellaobiquelygrooved

surface smooth,highly polished

spire short

innerlip

lirae

Fig. 1 Oliva oliva(ventral view)

innerlip lirae

Fig. 2 Oliva caerulea(ventral view)

Olividae 607

3a. Inner lip callus reaching about halfway to the posterior end of aperture; interior of shelldark purple (Fig. 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oliva caerulea

3b. Inner lip callus reaching almost to the posterior end of aperture; interior of shell yellowishorange (Fig. 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oliva annulata

4a. Columellar callus bright orange-red in colour (Fig. 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oliva reticulata4b. Columellar callus differently coloured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . → 5

5a. Shell relatively large (up to 9 cm in length); interior often deep orange in colour (Fig. 5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oliva miniacea

5b. Shell relatively small (up to 7 cm in length); interior whitish in colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . → 6

6a. Shell shape not swollen posteriorly; spire rather low, with oblique, orange-tinged black lines;outer colour with a combination of blue, orange, and often green spots (Fig. 6) . . . . . . Oliva tricolor

6b. Shell shape swollen posteriorly; spire very low to depressed, without oblique, orange-tinged black lines; outer colour differently patterned (Fig. 7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oliva vidua

List of species of interest to fisheries occurring in the areaThe symbol� is given when species accounts are included.� Oliva annulata (Gmelin, 1791)� Oliva caerulea (Röding, 1798)� Oliva miniacea (Röding, 1798)� Oliva oliva (Linnaeus, 1758)� Oliva reticulata (Röding, 1798)� Oliva tricolor Lamarck, 1811� Oliva vidua (Röding, 1798)

ReferencesPetuch, E.J. and D.M. Sargent. 1986. Atlas of the living olive shells of the world. Charlottesville, Coastal Education

and Research Foundation, 253 p.Zeigler, R.F. and H.C. Porreca. 1969. Olive shells of the world. Rochester, Rochester Polychrome Press, 96 p.

Fig. 3 Oliva annulata(ventral view)

columellarcallus

Fig. 4 Oliva reticulata(ventral view)

Fig. 5 Oliva miniacea(ventral view)

obliqueblack lines

Fig. 6 Oliva tricolor(ventral view)

Fig. 7 Oliva vidua(ventral view)

608 Gastropods

Oliva miniacea (Röding, 1798)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva erythrostoma (Meuschen, 1787) (Invalid name);O. erythrostoma Lamarck, 1811 / Oliva sericea (Röding, 1798).FAO names: En - Redmouth olive; Fr - Olive à bouche rouge.Diagnostic characters: Shell large, heavy, more or lesscylindrical with a relatively low, pointed spire and thickouter lip. Sides of the spire flat to feebly concave, suturesdeeply channeled, bordered by a narrow, sharp ridge whichends in a slightly protruding callus at posterior end ofinner lip. Surface of body whorl often with a few low androunded axial marks of growth near the outer lip of maturespecimens. Inner lip lirate along its whole length. Co-lumellar callus reaching at least 2/3 of the way to posteriorend of the aperture, with about 3 deep, angulate obliquegrooves anteriorly. Oblique spiral band bordering posteri-orly the columellar callus smooth and slightly raised, with asharp posterior edge. Colour: outside of shell generallycreamy white, with irrregular, wavy axial lines of orangeand grey, blue green, purple or brown, and 2 or 3 spiralbands of dark brown blotches on body whorl; sometimesalmost entirely dark brown, black, golden brown or palecoloured. Spire whorls with crowded purplish brown spots.Interior of the aperture deep orange, columellar callus andmargin of the outer lip cream.Size: Maximum shell length 9 cm, commonly to 7.5 cm.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Burrowing in sand bottoms,at shallow subtidal depths. Mainly collected for its large,colourful shell, this species is also sold for food in localmarkets of the central Philippines.Distribution: Widespread inthe tropical West Pacific, fromwestern Indonesia to easternPolynesia; north to Japan andsouth to Queensland andNew Caledonia.

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

Olividae 609

Oliva annulata (Gmelin, 1791)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva amethystina (Röding, 1798); O. emicator (Meuschen, 1787) (Invalidname) / None.

En - Amethyst olive; Fr - Olive mouchetée.Maximum shell length 6 cm, commonly to 4 cm. Burrowing in sandy bottoms, in shallow subtidalwater. Mainly collected for its shell. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa, includingMadagascar, but not in the Red Sea nor the Persian Gulf, to eastern Polynesia; north to Japan andsouth to central Queensland and New Caledonia.

Oliva caerulea (Röding, 1798)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva episcopalis Lamarck, 1811 / None.

En - Purplemouth olive; Fr - Olive épiscopale.Maximum shell length 6 cm, commonly to 4 cm. Burrowing in sand flats of the shallow sublittoralzone. Mainly collected for its shell. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa, includingMadagascar, but not in the Red Sea nor the Persian Gulf, to eastern Polynesia; north to Japan andsouth to central Queensland and New Caledonia.

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

610 Gastropods

Oliva oliva (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva ispida (Röding, 1798) / Oliva ispidula (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Common olive; Fr - Olive commune.Maximum shell length 4 cm, commonly to 3 cm. Burrowing in sand flats. Littoral and shallow subtidalzones. This common species is mainly collected for its shell. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific,from East Africa to eastern Melanesia; north to Japan and south to southern Queensland and NewCaledonia.

Oliva reticulata (Röding, 1798)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva sanguinolenta Lamarck, 1811 / None.

En - Blood olive; Fr - Olive sanguine.Maximum shell length 5 cm, commonly to 3.5 cm. Burrowing in sandy bottoms. Shallow sublittoralzone. Mainly collected for its shell. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa, includingMadagascar, but not in the Red Sea nor the Persian Gulf, to eastern Polynesia; north to southernJapan and south to Queensland and New Caledonia.

ventral view

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

Olividae 611

Oliva tricolor Lamarck, 1811

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.

En - Tricolor olive; Fr - Olive tricolore.Maximum shell length 6 cm, commonly to 4 cm. Burrowing in sand flats, at low tide and shallowsublittoral depths. Mainly collected for its shell. The tropical West Pacific, from Indonesia to westernPolynesia; north to southern Japan and south to Queensland and New Caledonia.

Oliva vidua (Röding, 1798)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Oliva maura Lamarck, 1810 / Oliva oliva (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Black olive; Fr - Olive noire.Maximum shell length 7 cm, commonly to 5.5 cm. Burrowing in sandy bottoms. Shallow sublittoralzone. Mainly collected for its shell. Restricted to the tropical West Pacific, from central Indonesia toMelanesia; north to the Philippines and south to Queensland.

ventral view

(after Springsteen and Leobrera, 1986)

dorsal view

ventral view

(after Springsteen and Leobrera, 1986)

dorsal view

612 Gastropods

Mitridae MITRIDAE

Miter shells

Diagnostic characters: Shell fusiform-ovate, with a high,tapering spire and a rather narrow aperture. Surface smooth

or with a predominantly spiral sculpture. Periostracum thin orabsent. Aperture elongate, anteriorly notched by a short si-phonal canal. Outer lip smooth to crenulate on the margin, notlirate inside. Columella with a few strong spiral folds, the largerones situated posteriorly. No operculum. Head relatively smalland narrow, with a pair of closely set, elongate tentacles bearingeyes on their outer sides. Snout extensible, very long, with a largemouth. Foot small, triangular, usually truncate anteriorly.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Mostly inhabiting littoral and shal-low waters of tropical and subtropical seas, but also occurringdeeper on the continental shelf and slope.Sometimes living on hardbottoms in coral reefs (resting in rock crevices or under stones andcorals during the day), but more often burrowing in sand and leavingbehind a conspicuous trail. Carnivores or carrion-feeders, mainlyfeeding on sipunculid worms and other gastropods which areswallowed whole or in chunks. Some species can secrete a pun-gent purple fluid from a mantle gland, as a defence mechanism.Sexes separate, fertilization internal. Eggs laid in tall and oblongcapsules with a short and narrow stalk, attached to stones or shellsby a flat disk. Numerous eggs enclosed in each capsule, generallyhatching as free-swimming, planktonic larvae. Mitridae are mostlycollected for their beautiful shells which are prized among collec-tors and currently utilized in the shellcraft industries. No precisedata on their utilization is available in the area.

Similar families occurring in the areaCostellariidae: shell almost identical to Mitridae, but sculpture mainly axial andaperture finely lirate inside.

Key to species of interest to fisheries occurring in the area1a. Spire strongly shouldered, with a spiral row of prominent,

pointed nodules under the suture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitra stictica1b. Spire not strongly shouldered, at the most with a beaded spiral

cord under the suture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . → 2

2a. Surface of shell with closely spaced, flat or rounded spiral cordsand grooves in between; colour yellowish brown, with broadbrown axial streaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitra eremitarum

2b. Surface of shell smooth, except for a few weak, spiral groovestowards the anterior end; colour white, with spiral rows of large,irregular orange or red spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitra mitra

List of species of interest to fisheries occurring in the areaThe symbol� is given when species accounts are included.

� Mitra eremitarum Röding, 1798� Mitra mitra (Linnaeus, 1758)� Mitra stictica (Link, 1807)

ReferencesCernohorsky, W.O. 1970. Systematics of the families Mitridae and Volutomitridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bull. Auckl.

Inst. Mus., 8:1-190.Cernohorsky, W.O. 1976. The Mitridae of the world. Part I. The subfamily Mitrinae. Indo-Pac. Moll., 3(7):273-528.Cernohorsky, W.O. 1991. The Mitridae of the world. Part 2. The subfamily Mitrinae concluded and subfamilies

Imbricariinae and Cylindromitridae. Monogr. Mar. Moll., 4:1-164.Pechar, P., C. Prior and B. Parkinson. 1980. Mitre shells from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Milton, Brown, 130 p.

ventral view

sculpturemainlyaxial

Costellariidae

siphonalcanalventral view

columellarfolds

Mitridae 613

Mitra eremitarum Röding, 1798

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Chrysame eremitarum (Röding, 1798); Mitra adusta Lamarck, 1811 / Mitraincompta (Lightfoot, 1786).

En - Adusta miter; Fr - Mitre brûlée.Maximum shell length 8 cm, commonly to 6 cm. On coral reefs, usually under stones and corals ona sand substrate. Abundant in the intertidal zone. Mainly collected for its shell in the area. The centralIndo-West Pacific, from the Andaman Sea and Cocos (Keeling) Islands to eastern Micronesia andMelanesia; north to southern Japan and south to Queensland and New Caledonia.

Mitra mitra (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Mitra episcopalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Suppressed name) / None.

En - Episcopal miter; Fr - Mitre épiscopale.Maximum shell length 18 cm, commonly to 14 cm. In coralline and silty sand, usually buried duringthe day and semi-active at the turn of tide; leaving large tracks when it moves with a partial coveringof sand. Most active at night when it crawls upon the sand. Intertidal and sublittoral zones, to a depthof about 80 m. One of the best known and most popular species of miter shells. Widespread in theIndo-West Pacific, from East Africa, including Madagascar and the Red Sea, to eastern Polynesia;north to southern Japan, Wake Island and Hawaii, and south to southern Queensland and KermadecIslands.

ventral view(after Short and Potter, 1987)

ventral view

(after Kira, 1962)

614 Gastropods

Mitra stictica (Link, 1807)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Mitra cardinalis Röding, 1798 (not of Gmelin, 1791); M. pontificalisLamarck, 1811 / Mitra papalis (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Pontifical miter; Fr - Mitre pontificale.Maximum shell length 8 cm, commonly to 6.5 cm. On reef platforms, on the underside of rocks andin coral crevices; generally on hard substrates. Intertidal, sublittoral and shelf zones, to a depth ofabout 200 m. Mainly collected for its shell in the area. Widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, fromEast Africa, including Madagascar and southeastern India, but not in the northwestern part of theIndian Ocean nor the Red Sea, to eastern Polynesia; north to southern Japan and Hawaii, and southto southern Queensland and New Caledonia.

ventral view

(after Kira, 1962)

Mitridae 615

Costellariidae COSTELLARIIDAE(= Vexillidae)

Costate miters

Distinctive characters: Shell fusiform-ovate, with ahigh, tapering spire and a rather narrow aperture.

Surface with a predominantly axial sculpture. Perios-tracum thin or absent. Aperture elongate, anteriorlynotched by a short siphonal canal. Outer lip generallysmooth on the margin, finely lirate deeply inside. Co-lumella with a few strong spiral folds, the larger onessituated posteriorly. No operculum. Head relatively smalland narrow, with a pair of closely set, elongate tentaclesbearing eyes on their outer sides. Snout extensible, mod-erately long to short, with a small mouth. Foot small, trian-gular, usually truncate anteriorly.Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Mostly living in littoral andshallow subtidal, tropical or subtropical habitats. Smallerspecies usually in rock crevices or hard coral areas, largerones burrowing in sand. Active predators or scavengers,sucking up soft tissues and body fluids of their prey. Sexesseparate, fertilization internal. Eggs released in blister-shaped capsules attached by a flat base, each capsulecontaining only a few eggs. Hatching generally occurring atthe crawling young stage. Mostly collected for shell trade.No precise data available in the area about the utilizationof the species included here.

Similar families occurring in the areaMitridae: shell almost identical to Costellariidae, but sculp-ture predominently spiral; aperture not lirate inside.

Key to species of interest to fisheries occurring in the area1a. Shell relatively slender in shape; axial ribs becoming

low, widely spaced axial folds on body whorl, crossedby fine spiral grooves, and by weak spiral cordsanteriorly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vexillum vulpeculum

1b. Shell relatively broad in shape; axial ribs strong,forming prominent shoulder nodules on body whorl,crossed by deep spiral grooves which produce arough surface texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vexillum rugosum

List of species of interest to fisheries occurring in the areaThe symbol� is given when species accounts are included.� Vexillum rugosum (Gmelin, 1791)� Vexillum vulpeculum (Linnaeus, 1758)

ReferencesCernohorsky, W.O. 1970. Systematics of the families Mitridae and Volutomitridae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bull. Auckl.

Inst. Mus., 8:1-190.Pechar, P., C. Prior, and B. Parkinson. 1980. Mitre shells from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Milton, Brown, 130 p.

columellarfolds

siphonal canalventral view

axialsculpture

conspicuous

ventral view

Mitridae

616 Gastropods

Vexillum rugosum (Gmelin, 1791)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Mitra corrugata Lamarck, 1811; Turricula rugosa (Gmelin, 1791) / Vexillumplicarium (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Rugose miter; Fr - Mitre froncée.Maximum shell length 5 cm, commonly to 4 cm. In sandy bottoms. Shallow sublittoral zone, fromlow tide levels to a depth of about 10 m.No data on fisheries in the area.Widespread in the Indo-WestPacific, from East Africa, including the Red Sea, to Melanesia; north to southern Japan, and southto central Queensland.

Vexillum vulpeculum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Turricula vulpecula (Linnaeus, 1758) / Vexillum caffrum (Linnaeus, 1758).

En - Little-fox miter; Fr - Mitre petit-renard.Maximum shell length 7 cm, commonly to 5 cm. In sandy bottoms. Shallow sublittoral zone, fromlow tide levels to a depth of about 10 m.No data on fisheries in the area.Widespread in the Indo-WestPacific, from East Africa to Melanesia; north to the Philippines, and south to central Queenslandand New Caledonia.

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

ventral view

(after Short and Potter, 1987)

Costellariidae 617

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