"Cerion (Strophiops) utowana abbotti, new subspecies

Plate 43, fig. 4

Description. Shell reaching 32 mm. in length, solid in struc­ture, umbilicated, smooth to moderately sculptured. Color a grayish white and mottled with patches of light brown. Whorls 10 to 10½, flat sided to slightly convex, the first seven whorls forming the tapering apex. Suture well defined. Aperture sub­circular. Lip greatly thickened, broadly reflected and recurved. There is no parietal ridge, though the parietal area is thinly glazed. Parietal tooth centered and extending backwards for ½ whorl. Columellar tooth formed well within the aperture, low and extending backward for ½ whorl. Umbilicus rather small but deep. Sculpture consisting of fine growth lines with many specimens showing well formed axial ribs, particularly on the last whorl.

length               width

32mm.             14mm               Holotype          

31.5                  14.5                  Paratype

29.5                  15                     Paratype

27.5                  13.5                  Paratype

27.5                     13.5     

Types. The holotype is in the United States National Mu­seum, no. 610285, from Long Island, South Caicos, Caicos Is­lands, Bahamas. P. Bartsch collector, July 29,1930. Paratypes from the same locality are in the United States National Mu­seum, no. 392752 and in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, nos. 189854, 219190 and 219191.

Remarks. This subspecies is close in its relationship to the typical form, C. utowana Clench from East Plana Cay. C. u. abbotti is much smaller and has the last three whorls straight, while in C. utowana all whorls taper toward the apex. The presence of axial ribs in abbotti is a character possibly ob­tained through crossing with C. caicosense Clench, typical utowana being smooth, other than the fine axial growth lines. The series of specimens obtained from Dove Cay were dead and appeared to be very old specimens.

This species is named for R. T. Abbott of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia.

Specimens examined. CAICOS ISLANDS: Dove Cay, East Cai­cos (dead); Long Cay, South Caicos. TURKS ISLANDS: Long Cay north of beacon; south end of Sand Cay." (Clench, 1961: 251, 254)