Shell up to 17.0 mm in length, ovate-acuminate, moderately solid, teleoconch of 54-5% distinctly convex whorls, protoconch of 3½-4 smooth, embryonic whorls, last whorl finely carinate; sculptured with broad axial ribs which persist to the penultimate whorl but become obsolete on the body whorl where they are only faintly indicated anteriorly to the subsutural band of nodules; spiral sculpture consists of c. 3 overriding spiral threads on upper spire whorls, spirals becoming obsolete on later whorls, and only 2-3 faint spiral grooves are visible at the base of the body whorl; the shell surface is also sculptured with microscopic crowded axial threads. Aperture moderately open, outer lip thicken- ed and slightly varicose, interior with 13-14 moderately long denticles, columellar callus-shield absent apart from a slightly calloused siphonal fasciole, parietal wall with only a slight swelling but no distinct denticle, fasciole bordered by a brown ridge, base of columella with 1-2 folds. Brownish-orange in colour, marked with rather large, irregular white maculations which are occasionally edged in places by a fine dark brown margin, sutural rows of nodules marked by irregularly placed alternate dark brown and white blotches, anterior half of columella and aperture white. TYPE LOCALITY. Te Raa Raa, Easter I, Pacific Ocean. DISTRIBUTION. Tubuai Is to Easter I, Pacific Ocean. Habitat unknown. Type specimens. The holotype of N.albomaculatus Rehder, is in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, No. USNM-751615, length 16.9 mm, width 8.3 mm. Material examined. EASTER IS: Te Raa Raa (USNM); TUBUAI IS: Rapa I (coll. Trondle). The species is similar to N.gaudiosus (Hinds), but differs in shape, more convex whorls, lack of a parietal denticle and a distinct anal canal, presence of a microscopic axial sculpture, distinct col- our pattern and complete absence of the orange-brown spiral lines. Shorly after the taxon Nassarius albomaculatus was published by Rehder, it was found to be a secondary homonym of Amycla cornicula forma albomaculata Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882, on the basis of Article 45(e)(i) of the Code of ICZN, and Dr.H. Rehder (in litt.) decided to publish a substitute name in due course. In the meantime, however, the Commission on Zoological Nomenclature amended Article 45(e)(i) [The Editor, 1981], and under the new amendment the epithet "forma albomaculata" Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882, is deemed to be of infrasubspecific status and thus does not enter into homonymy, making a change of Nassarius albomaculatus Rehder, unnecessary.

Easter Island. (Chili)