Shell up to 17.0 mm in length, elongate-ovate and very solid, teleoconch of 5½-6½ weakly con- vex whorls, protoconch of 2½-2% glassy, finely carinate embryonic whorls; sculptured with rather thick, rounded axial ribs which number from 8-10 on the penultimate and the same number on the body whorl; spiral sculpture almost obsolete apart from some very fine spiral grooves in some individuals, siphonal fasciole with 6-7 spiral cords, macroscopic axial growth-striae present in some specimens. Aperture narrow, outer lip thick and broadly variced, posterior end prominently callous- ed and upswept in profile, interior denticulate-lirate, columellar callus thick and partly expanding on to body whorl, lower half of columella denticulate. Steel-grey to greenish-brown in colour, banded with bluish-white, some ribs lighter in colour, some specimens with a few orange spiral lines, columellar callus white, interior of aperture purple-brown, banded with white. Operculum brown, and with only 1-3 small denticles at margin. TYPE LOCALITY. Corregidor, Bay of Manila, Philippines [= error?] (coronulus); East Africa; Aden; Madagascar (afrum).

DISTRIBUTION. From the Red Sea to East Africa and Madagascar. From the intertidal zone to a depth of 10 m. Type specimens. Four syntypes of N. coronulus (A.Adams), are in the British Museum (N.H.), Lon- don, No.197324, and the specimen measuring length 14.6 mm, width 9.0 mm, is here selected as the lectotype (pl.13,fig.10). The type specimen of Buccinum afrum Philippi, has not been traced. Material examined. MADAGASCAR: (Zool. Mus. Humboldt Univ., Berlin); Grand Recif, Tulear (SMOM). It is quite probable that N.afer (Philippi) is an earlier name for N.coronulus (A.Adams). Philip- pi's types can no longer be found and the matter is complicated by the presence of 2 different species labelled "Buccinum afrum Philippi" from Madagascar, in the Dunker collection in the Zoological Museum, Humboldt University, Berlin. I found it advisable to retain the well-documented taxon N.coronulus (A.Adams) for this species. Adams' type locality of "Philippines" is suspect. The species has been reported from the Red Sea by Cooke (1885), is known to live in Madagascar, but has not been recorded outside those regions since its description.