Shell small, thin, yellowish or grayish, with ten ordinary and three polished dark brown smooth nuclear whorls; apex acute, whorls well rounded, suture distinct; whorls closely reticulated by (on the last about twenty-five) little-elevated thin transverse lamellae, and five strong, even, regular revolving or spiral ribs over which the lamellae are fluted and frilled with great regularity. The lamellae pass from the suture to the margin of the very large basal disk, over the edge of which they pass as slightly raised lines centring at the axis of the shell, and giving a wheel-like appearance to the disk, which is also sculptured by fine radiating and stronger revolving threads; the disk is a little concave, and like the rest of the shell tinged with brownish yellow, but the columella or axis is pure white, polished, and shows a single strong spiral fasciole; the lip is thin, hardly at all reflected, the margin is angulated by the carina of the disk and at the somewhat projecting columella so that the aperture has a squarish appearance. The whole base from the suture down is occupied by the disk. Lon. 12.5 mm, max. lat. 4.3 mm., of the largest specimen.

Shell reaching about 30 mm. (1,25 inches) in length, attenuated, thin but strong, imperforate, and with whorls attached. Whorls 16, strongly convex, with a moderately well defined shoulder angle. Color a dull straw yellow to pale brown with two light and narrow brownish bands, one above and one below the periphery. Suture deeply impressed. Aperture subcircular to ovate with a slightly thickened but non-reflected lip. Columella short and arched terminating below in a very shallow and relatively inconspicuous siphonal canal. Axial sculpture consisting of numerous and fairly high blade-like costae which rise well above the spiral ridges. There are about thirty-two costae on the body whorl. In profile these costae are somewhat scalloped, the low areas being between the spiral ridges. At the point of the whorl shoulder the costae produce rather sharpened points which in turn are responsible for the moderate whorl shoulder. Spiral sculpture consisting of seven or eight ridges which are a little lower than the axial costae. The reticulated pattern thus formed is quite regular and is found on all the whorls below the nuclear whorls. In the little reticulated areas there are both axial and spiral threads which are clearly visible under a 10 x magnification. Basal area defined by the lower and basal spiral ridge. In this area the axial costae are low but well defined; spiral ridges though present are rather indistinct, with the fine thread-like sculpture persisting. Early whorls very slightly angulated. Nuclear whorls two, amber in coloration.

While it has been considered to be a western Atlantic species found offshore from North Carolina south to Brazil, it has recently been dredged off the coast of the Western Sahara. It occurs at depths of 13 to 120 fathoms. This species attains a maximum size of 33mm. It is yellowish to pale brown with approximately 16 whorls. There are about 7-8 spiral cords and approximately 25-30 serrated, lamellate costae per whorl with numerous very fine axial and spiral threads in the little squares formed by the costae and spiral cords. A strong basal ridge is present. The columella is white to straw colored. There are two brown proto-conch whorls.

This very pretty species is related to A. decussata of Lamarck as identified by M. de Boury. This differs from A. retifera in its smaller and less emphasized basal disk, its much more numerous and less regular spiral striae, and raised threads which do not flute the transverse lamellae. A. decussata appears also to reach a much larger size. There is no other recent species which is at all like A. retifera, so far as I have been able to discover. Sowerby's figure of decussata is not unlike A. retifera, but it does not represent the original decussata of Lamarck, which is a fossil species.

This is a very distinctive species and can be distinguished readily from ail others in this family found in the Western Atlantic. On Plate 96 we figure an enlarged photograph which shows the remarkable and complex sculpture. In relationship this species appears to be nearest to Amaea decussata Lamarck from the East Indies. How¬ever, Amaea retifera is a much smaller shell and has somewhat less convex whorls. It appears to be a relatively abundant species throughout its range as the number of our records indicate. It occurs in depths ranging from 13 to 120 fathoms.

Seventeen to twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina. Range. North Carolina to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and south to the Barbados. Whole West Atlantic Eastward to Madeira and Canary Islands