Page:American Seashells (1954).djvu/224

174 3 to 4 inches in length. Always with spines on the last whorl, but those on the next to the last whorl are nearly always the largest. Shoulder of outer lip nearly always turns slightly upwards. Color a rich cream-orange to salmon-pink throughout, except for a cobalt-blue splotch of color on the end of the canal. Periostracum very thin and velvety. This is primarily a West Indian species, and apparently will not interbreed with the mainland species, S. alatus. An aberrant form which has club-like spines was unneces- sarily named sloani Leach 1814 and pecidiaris M. Smith 1940. Percy Morris' colored figure (1951, pi. 19, fig. 9) is not pugilis, but alatus. Strombus alatus Gmelin Florida Fighting Conch Plate 5h South Carolina to both sides of Florida and to Texas. 3 to 4 inches in length. With or without short spines on the shoulder of the last whorl. Shoulder of outer lip slopes slightly downward. Color a dark reddish brown, often mottled with orange-brown or having zigzag bars of color on the shiny parietal wall. Periostracum very thin and velvety. A very common shallow water species, especially on the west coast of Florida. Not found in the West Indies. Do not confuse with 5. pugilis. Strombus gigas Linne Queen Conch Plate 23a Southeast Florida and the West Indies. Bermuda. 6 to 1 2 inches in length. Characterized by its large size, large and flaring outer lip, and the rich pinks, yellows and orange shades in the aperture. Peri- ostracum fairly thick and horny. It flakes off in dried specimens. A malform with flattened spines was named borridus M. Smith. A form with a deep chan- nel at the suture occasionally turns up in the Bahamas. It was named canali- culatus L. Burry. S. gigas verrilli McGinty is a form of questionable value described from Lake Worth, Florida. Very common in the West Indies, becoming uncommon in the Florida Keys from over-fishing. Also called the Pink Conch. Strombus costatus Gmelin Milk Conch Plate 23b Southeast Florida and the West Indies. 4 to 7 inches in length. Shell very heavy usually, and with low, blunt spines. Parietal wall and thick outer lip highly glazed with cream-white enamel. Outer shell a yellowish white. The periostracum in dried specimens flakes off. Common in the West Indies. 5. spectabilis A. H. Verrill is this species.