'RKSIONTKD TO THJ fMM/u-r^QiTY OF CflLIFORNm C. P. HUNTINGTON dUNE.- 18Q7, University of California • Berkeley s^. -^>- /-■• • r^ Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation littp://www.arcliive.org/details/californianspeciOOdallricli LI BR On the Californian Species of Fiisus. BY W. H. DALL, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. From tho Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, March 19th, 1877. Without entoriug into tlio questiou of their exact generic relations, a short review of the Californian mollusks, nsually referred to the genus Fusus (sen- so lato), may prove not without interest. With the exception of one species, the synonymy and nomenclature of these forms are in a very confused condition, as will shortly appear. After the description of F. dims, by Keeve, in 1846, two miocene fossils were the first described species from this coast, and from a mistaken desire to confine the number of sf)ecies within the narrowest limits, these names, or one of them, have been repeatedly injected into the nomenclature of the recent forms. Disposing of these two fossils, the remainder will he- referred lo in chrono. logical order. FiTSUS GENicuLUS, Conrad. 1849. Geol. U. S. Expl. Exp., X, p. 728, pi. 20, f. 3. Miocene; Sand- stones of Astoria, Oregon. This consists of a fossil truncated at both ends, with the aperture and half the shell imbedded in the matrix, and the remainder very poorly preserved, or at least wretchedly figured. The types belonging to the National Museum h;ive been lost for twenty years. The species is wholly unrecognizable, and should bo expunged from nomenclature. For this rubbish Mr. Conrad has proposed a genus Priscofusiis, but with neither figure nor diagnosis. (Am. Journ. Conch., 1865, p. 150.) (?) Fusus CORPULENTUS, Courad. 1849. Geol. 1. c. p. 728, PI. 20, f. 4. Same locahty. This consists of the internal cast of a species of mollusb, which may be a Pleurotoma, or almost anything else of a fusiform shape. Otherwise, the re- marks under the preceding species are applicable in this case. Fusus (Chetsodomus) dirus, Reeve. 1846. Bucdnum dirum, Eeeve. Conch. Icon., f. 92; Dec, 1846. Fusus incisus, Gould. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., p. 124, May, 1849. Expl. Exp., Moll., p. 245, pi. , f. . Otia Conch., p. 64, 1862. TrUonium {Fusus) Sitchense, Middendorf. Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci., St. Petersburg, VII, No. 160, 1849, p. 244. Beitr. Mai. Ross, II, 1849, p. 149, t. II, f. 5-8. Chnjsodomus dirus, Carpenter. Rep. Br. Assoc, II, 1863, p. 664, (and of Californian authors). Habitat, Shumagiu Islands, Alaska, to Monterey, Cal. One dead speci- men found at San Miguel Island, Cal. This well known species is familiar 2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA to all West Coast conchologists, and appears to flourish most abundantly from Sitka to Oregon. It is sufficiently distinct from any other Califoruian species to require no special care in making comparisons. The Puget Sound speci- mens have a tendency to a greenish-gray hue, with bright orange mouth, less conspicuous grooving and more solid shell than others. Those from further north are usually of a dark lurid brown, within and without; the revolving threads more even, and the grooves wider. This species seems particularly liable to individual abnormalities or deformities, and has the external asjieet, as remarked by Gould, of a Eitthria. Fusus (?CoLus) AMBTTSTUs, Goiild. 1852. FitsHs ambustus, Gould. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., VI, p. 385; Oct., 1853. (extras, April, 1852); pi. XIV, f. 18. Fnsus fMmens, Carpenter. Maz. Shells, p. 503, No. 640; Mar., 1857> (Brit. Mus., tablet 2,413), Mazatlan. Not F. ambustus of Californian writers or Carpenter. Habitat, Mazatlan, Mexico, Lieut. Green; Guaymas, Dr. E. Palmer. The name of Fusus ambustus has been very widely quoted for one or two Californian species hereafter to be mentioned, but there is no reason for be- lieving that it exists in California at all. Dr. Gould's figure excellently rep- resents the fresh condition of living specimens, though fresh specimens are often lighter. The two nuclear whorls are thin, dark brown, and polished, having the texture glassy rather than porcellanous. The fact that Dr. Gould's figure is totally unlike any of the Californian species renders it a matter of surprise that it should have been sought to apply it to any of them; however, this has been persistently and erroneously done. From a photograph of an original drawing made by the aiithor from his type in the British Museum, it becomes possible to identify his minute and very young shell with that of Dr. Gould. It would have been as well, on some accounts, to have avoided applying names to such material, which, unless the specimens can be consulted, is only too apt to form a stumbling block in the way of identification of mature and perfect specimens. The other species (?) F. apertus, described at the same time from an even less perfect specimen, is hardly likely to be identified. This species is, of course, only included here to assist in'clearing up the synonymy. Fusus (? Chrysodomus) Hakfoedi, Stearns. 1871. Prel. Descr., Aug. 1871. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sciences, V, p. 79, 1873 Habitat, Mendocino Co., Cal., Harford; Faralloues, Watkins. This is an excellent species, but very rare. The reception from Dr. Car- penter of a specimen obtained by him from Mr. Stearns, has enabled me to identify a young specimen in my own collection received from Mr. Watkins, and collected by him on the Faralloues. This is the more fortunate, as the original type has not been accessible for some years. As the original diag- nosis is brief, a few additional remarks may be useful. ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. O Fumscinnamomcus, Eve. (Conch. Ic, 16) presents some resemblance to this species, which difiers from the former in having a shorter caiml, a longer spire, more rounded whorls and much deeper sutures, more numerous revolv- ing ridges, which are also narrower, and especially in the presence of strongly marked, beautifully rounded costte, which become obsolete next the suture and on the last whorl. These costte recall those on the upper whorls in de- corticated Prime orec/onensis, but are not cancellated. They reach across the whorls in the young shell, fading out anteriorly as it approaches the adult condition. In young shells the epidermis is usually polished and of a bright ruddy brown; in an adult it is raised between the revolving ridges into suc- cessive lamellje, which indicate that a fresh and perfect specimen must pre- sent a pubescent appearance, verging on shagginess. The interspaces in the posterior whorls are about as wide as the revolving ridges, but on the last whorl smaller intercalary ridges appear, especially on the anterior half of the whorl. There is a tendency to a smoothish space on each side of the suture, which gives it a channelled appearance. Excluding the nuclear portion, there are about five ridges on the first five whorls. On the fifth there are about ten costte. On the last whorl of the adult, the eostaj being evanescent, there are about seventeen main ridges and ten or eleven intercalary threads. The spire is a little longer than the length of the aperture plus the canal. In the interior of the aperture (which is white), beside the gi-ooves due to the external ridges, there are numerous very fine incised striae, not quite reaching the margin, and a rather strong groove at the junction of this whorl with the last. There is no siphoual fasciole. Length, 2% inches. I have little doubt that this is the shell called by Middendorf Tntonium Sablni, from Kenai; at least, there is no other shell of the coast resembling Gray's Fusus Sahini, which is the same as Fusus bcrniciensis, King. Fustjs LUTEOPicTtrs, Dall. n. s. Fusus ambuslus, Cpr. Suppl. Kep. Brit. Assoc, 18G3, p. 66-1 (pars), not of Gould. Fusus geniculus, Gabb. Pal. Cal., II, p. 71, (pars. syn. excl.) Fusus ambustus, Cooper, Cat. Monterey Shells, Am. Journ. Conch., VI, p. 70. Geogr. Cat. No. 787, (most Cala. writers). Habitat, Earallone Islands, rare, Watkins; to San Diego, Cala. Shell small, fusiform, rather thin, provided with numerous revolving ridges and transverse costpe. Aperture plus canal less in length than the spire. Whorls rounded, somewhat excavated near the sutures. General col- oration dark brown, occasionally interrupted on the ridges. Costie, with that portion of the ridges which pass over them, bright yellow, in dead specimens fading to whitish. On the last whorl, when the costie become obsolete, the lighter coloration is often continued as a light band marked within the aper- ture, as well as externally, while the anterior half of the whorl continues dark, the darker coloration appearing on the inner edge of the lip as a brown spot or spots. Spire, when perfect, containing six or seven whorls, the nu- clear portion light colored, with delicate cancellation. Canal short, two- thirds as long as the aperture at most. Aperture rounded-ovate, within white, 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ■when adult provided with about twelve threads, stronglj- marked and dis- posed in pairs. These stop just within the margin of the outer lip, which is creuulated. On the fourth whorl there are about ten costte, which pass the periphery, but are obsolete just beyond it. The canal is often of a lighter brown than the rest. The ridges are slightly thickened on the costae, and on the last whorl are about twelve in number, with a few intercalary threads. An adult measures 0.82 iu. long; 0.35 in. greatest width; canal 0.14 in.; canal and aperture 0.37 in.; remainder of spire 0.45 in. This rather common little shell is rare in a perfect condition, but may be obtained in a worn and rolled condition on the beaches without much trouble, especially at Monterey. It is familiar to all West Coast conchologists. The only characters common to it and F. geniculus, so far as the latter exhibits any, are those of sculpture, which are also common to nearly all the species of the CoJus group and those related to them. It has been often considered as a variety, or the young of the next species, from comparison of rolled speci- mens. "When perfect, no such confusion is likely. As both have been con- founded together, and with anibustus as well as the apocryphal geniculus, it is difficult to assert the synonymy. To some part of this omnium gatherum Dr. Carpenter has compared the Fusus davatus, Brocchi, a Calabrian miocene fos- sil, an inch wide and three inches long. From the descriptions of Deshayes and Philippi no necessity for such allocation appears. It is in the highest degree improbable that F. davatus is closely related to any Californian species, other than generically. FusDS KoBKLTi, Dall. n. s. Fusus ambustus+genicalus (pars) of Californian authors. Habitat, Monterey to San Diego. Shell elegantly and regularly fusiform, of seven or eight whorls, sculptured with revolving hnes and transverse costfB. In young specimens the whorls are somewhat rounded, in the adult elongated. Epidermis in perfect speci- mens dark ashy or greenish olivaceous, rising in crowded lamellaj and ob- scuring the coloration. This varies, however, with age and habitat. Apex acute, the second and third whorls hardly larger than the embryo. Color whitish, the alternate revolving ridges of a dark brown, which occasionally extends to all the ridges. These ridges do not lose their color in passing over the costfe, except M'here worn off by rolling on the beach. Except on the earlier whorls the ridges do not show any tendency to enlarge in passing over the costc^. On the posterior edge of the whorls the shell is appressed on the suture, and the ridges here are inconspicuous, in most specimens, compared with those on the body of the whorl. These ridges, moreover, bear the char- acter of threads, the interspaces not being channelled as iu F. Harfordi and luteopidus. In the most perfect specimen, on the last whorl there are twenty- two brown ridges and as many more intercalary, of the same color as the shell. In melanitic specimens all may be tinged brown. On the antepenult- imate whorl between the sutures there are about six main ridges and eight intercalary. The costae are rounded and prominent only on the earlier whorls, but they remain on the last whorl in a flattened condition, but ex- ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. teud well over the periphery, and are not obsolescent as in the last species. The interior of the aperture is white; before the lips are thickened the brown lines show through, and the prominent white threads of the throat arc dis- tant from the outer edge. In this stage there is no siphonal fasciole. Later, both lips may be strongly thickened; the threads (ten or fifteen in number) nearly reach the edge, a labial callus and fasciole are formed. In ^adults there are about twelve costixs on the last and ten on the sixth whorl. This species may reach two inches in length. A specimen perfect, but with the lip still unlhickened, measures 1.85 in. long; spire, 0.86 in.; aper- ture, 0.6 in. (to posterior notch); canal, 0.5 in. The total is more than the total length, not being measured on a median line. This beautiful species appears to be very i-are in a perfect condition, though rolled specimens are common on Oatalina Island (northern) beaches and at San Pedro. The features of a young living specimen from Monterey are obscured by the shaggy epidermis, of which beach specimens show no trace whatever. In much thickened specimens there is a lump on the whorl at the posterior angle of the aperture. It is perfectly distinct from the other Californian species, and from any I find figured in the monographs. In a general way it is perhai^s a little like /^. j