Echinophoria carnosa seems to be surprisingly unvaried. It is similar to the "kurodai form" of E. wyvillei in many characters. The two are similar in size and shape, in having a white to (more commonly) pale flesh-pink exterior with a white aperture, in having numerous rows of very even-sized, regularly placed nodules covering most of the last whorl and in having no free callus collar extending from the inner lip, the lip adhering directly to the previous whorl. The "kurodai form" of E. wyvillei differs from E. carnosa in having a slightly shorter spire, in having a slight shoulder angulation that is not seen on the evenly convex whorls of E. carnosa, in having the nodule row at the periphery (on the shoulder angle) more prominent and bearing larger nodules than in lower rows, whereas all nodule rows are similar in E. carnosa, in having a markedly wider spiral interspace between the uppermost two rows of nodules than lower on the shell, rather than having all the rows evenly spaced as in E. carnosa, and in having the suture positioned at the crest of the second row of nodules from the posterior, or in some specimens even higher on the penultimate whorl, so that little of the second nodule row is visible on spire whorls, whereas in E. carnosa the even spacing of the nodule rows allows the suture consistently to fall in the interspace below the second row of nodules from the posterior, and the two posterior rows of nodules both are revealed completely on spire whorls. In fresh specimens, collected live, the shell surface is glossy in the "kurodai form" of E. wyvillei, whereas it is dull (apart from the glossy inner lip) in E. carnosa. This difference seems to result from the many very fine, low, rather widely placed spiral threads that cover the surface of E. carnosa, but are absent, at least on the last whorl, on most specimens of E. wyvillei. Also, the terminal varix is consistently narrower in E. wyvillei than in E. carnosa, and lacks nodules on its inner edge, although many specimens have low nodules on the anterior half of the exterior of the varix, a unique character; whereas the varix is thicker, and in some specimens much thicker, in E. carnosa, and in some specimens bears low nodules or low but obvious transverse ridges on the lower half of the interior edge. Illustrations and the two specimens seen indicate that E. carnosa has a uniformly coloured, pale pinkish cream exterior, whereas in most specimens of the "kurodai form" of E. wyvillei the spiral bands are paler around the nodule rows than elsewhere, and there are pale brown spots on the abapertural (dorsal) face of the terminal varix between the paler bands, corresponding in position to the nodules along the varix edge. Also, their partial sympatry is good evidence of specific distinction. Parth (2000: 93, fig. 19) suggested that E. kurodai is a synonym of E. carnosa, but both specimens illustrated by him are typical specimens of the "kurodai form" of E. wyvillei, indicating that he probably has not examined the real E. carnosa, which evidently is a rare species occurring only in southern Japan and, very rarely, the Philippines. Animals have not been available for examination. The operculum of the holotype (Fig. 30J) is a little shorter and wider than those of E. wyvillei examined here.
DIMENSIONS. - Habe (1964) stated the dimensions of the holotype as H 53.2, D 34.7 mm, whereas the actual dimensions are H 81.4, D 53.2 mm; other Tosa Bay specimens recorded by Abbott (1968): H 64.5, D 44.1 mm; H
62.8, D 42.5 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. - Holotype NSMT Mo. 71554, from c. 400 m, Tosa Bay, Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan (live-collected, with operculum; Figs 31A, B). OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. - Japan. Unrealised, Staadt collection (1 lv, MNHN; Figs 31C, D). - Abeno, Japan (1 lv, RMNH).
DISTRIBUTION. — Echinophoria carnosa has been recorded from Tosa Bay, Shikoku, southern Japan (Habe 1964; Abbott 1968), from the Philippine Islands (Springsteen &r Leobrera 1986: 102) and from the northwest shelf of Western Australia (Wilson 1993; Kreipl 1997). However, the published figure of a Philippines specimen (Springsteen & Leobrera 1986) actually shows a slightly immature, coarsely nodulose specimen of E. wyvillei. The Soela prawn trawling survey carried out on the northwestern shelf of Western Australia by S. Slack-Smith (WAM) did not collect E. carnosa, despite collecting more than 70 specimens of E. wyvillei. The Western Australian specimens identified as E. carnosa by Wilson (1993: pl. 38, fig. 11 A) and Kreipl (1997) appear to be further slightly immature, coarsely nodulose specimens of E. wyvillei. The Philippines and northwestern Australian specimens illustrated as E. carnosa by Parth (2000: fig. 19) also both are E. wyvillei. Little of the material from outside Japan identified as E. carnosa actually is that species, and E. carnosa possibly is restricted to southeastern Japan. Habe (1968: 61) gave the range as Tosa Bay, Shikoku to Enshu-nada, Honshu. However, Dr Tilo Eggeling (Braunschweig, Germany) has shown me an authentic specimen from the Philippine Islands.