-50m, By lobster gillnet, Sakai, Minabe-Cho, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, 58.3mm.
The « Modest Bolma » is an elaborately ornamented turbinid ranging from Honshu, Japan to Taiwan to East China Sea. The dorsum varies from pinkish to purple in colouration and carries two rows of strong spines as well as many rows of beaded cords; there is another row of moderate spines on the base. Spine development vary greatly among individuals, the depicted specimen has rather strong spines. The parietal callus is yellowish brown to golden and is rather widespead. A common grazing and detritus-ingesting gastropod inhabiting rocky to gravelly bottoms, it lives in depths ranging from -20-150m which is shallow for a Bolma. Typical shell length around 45mm., giant specimens may exceed 60mm.

DIAGNOSIS. Shell: Whorls rounded, sculpture mostly scaly. Peripheral angle at middle of whorls on spire, with 1-2 (3 in a few specimens) rows of short to relatively long spines on the rounded body whorl. Sculpture very variable. Subsutural zone concave, sometimes bearing strongly prosocline, high, thin growth lamellae. Upper surface of whorls bearing 4-8 rows of hollow scales, and in some specimens short, low, rounded axial folds below suture. Peripheral angulation and zone between it and weak basal angulation bears row of small to large, hollow, scale-like spines, and on most specimens a further row of spines forms weak third angulation between other angulations. Up to 3 secondary rows of spines present, and 2-6 peripheral rows of minute scales. Base with 8-9 spiral rows of low, hollow scales. Basal callus broad, bright orange-yellow; columella white. Outer lip expanded when mature. Surface pinkish mauve, with a nacreous gleam.
Operculum: Slightly oval, with a prominent marginal ridge; central area almost flat, surface irregularly and minutely granular; white.
DIMENSIONS. Figured specimens: height 50 mm, diameter 56 mm; height 45.7 mm, diameter 49 mm.
TYPE LOCALITY: Japan.
TYPES: Reeve's (1842) figured specimen was not found in the BMNH, but the specimen in fig. 2d-e was identified as this species by Reeve (BMNH, 19782).
OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. Japan: Honshu (AM) (1); off Kii, Honshu, 90 m (AMNH) (3), (USNM) (2), (AM) (2); Nagasaki, Kyushu (ANSP) (2), (USNM) (2) (S. Australian Museum) (2); Boshu (USNM) (4); Hizen, Kyushu (AMNH) (2); Sagami Bay (ANSP) (3), 18-37 m (AMNH) (3); Tosa Bay, Shikoku (ANSP) (5); off Honshu Is., U.S. Fisheries Commission Stn 3727, 62 m and Stn 3734, 66-88 m (USNM) (3 and 2); Miara (USNM) (1); Mikawa (USNM) (2); Hashimoto (USNM) (1); off Hondo, S. coast, U.S. Fisheries Bureau Stn 3703, 57 m (USNM) (1); off Pratas Is., China Sea, 274 m, U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (USNM) (1); Loo Choo Ids (= Ryukyu Ids) (ANSP) (31); lagashima Is., 91-146 m (Bishop Museum, Honolulu) (7).
OTHER LOCALITIES. Off Cape Ashizuri, Kochi Peninsula (Oyama & Takemura, 1960); "South of central Japan at 10-20 fathoms (= 18-36 m) deep" (Kira, 1962, p. 18); seven localities in Sagami Bay, and "Honshu (Boso Peninsula as northern limit), Shikoku, Kyushu, Formosa and China. On rocks and gravels of 20-100 m deep" (Kurodaeta/., 1971, p. 49).
Recorded as a fossil from the Pliocene Ryukyu Limestone of Kikaizima, Ryukyu Islands, by Nomura & Zinbo (1934, p. 146, pl. 5, fig. 37).
Several Miocene and Pliocene fossil species from Taiwan and Okinawa appear to fall within the variation of Recent Bolma modesta to judge from figures given by McNeil (1960): Astraea pseudomodesta Nomura, 1935, p. 208, pl. 10, figs. 1a-c; Bolma cf. pseudomodesta McNeil, 1960, p. 33, pl. 16, figs. 10,23; Bolma sp. ind. McNeil, 1960, p. 33, pi. 7, fig. 15; Bolma hataii McNeil, 1960, p. 34, pl. 7, figs 5, 9,14; Bolma n. sp.? McNeil, 1960, p. 34, pl. 1, fig. 7.