The species in somewhat variable forms occurs up the Atlantic Coast of Europe to the British Channel, and South to the Canary 5o The Tritons and Frog Shells Islands. In the East, it is found in Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and in Natal and Mauritius in Southern Africa. Tryon considers T. Saulice, Rve., and T. australis, Lam., variations of this species.
"Madame Power found this animal capable of reproducing amputated tentacles. The Sicilians and Algerians eat the mol lusk, and esteem it a delicacy. At Nice, the fishermen and country people make a hole in the apex of the spire and use the shell as a trumpet, which produces a braying sound. It is an indispensable instrument in the old-fashioned charivari, which she describes as a deafening serenade to signalise the marriages of ill-assorted or unpopular couples."—Tryon.
The Triton (T. olearium, Linn.) has a thick, broad shell, with few varices and a blunt spire, strongly ribbed and set with tubercles, more or less prominent. The ground colour is light brown, spotted alternately with dark brown and white. The aperture is flesh-coloured, the columella dark brown with raised white wrinkles.
The Greek lamp is not unlike this shell in form. The skin is thin, and is marked by hairy tufted ridges in life. The animal is pale yellow, with black spots which are more remote and larger on the head; the tentacles are long and black. Length, 2 to 6 inches.
Habitat.—Mediterranean, Atlantic coast of Europe and Africa; West Indies to Brazil; Australia to Japan.
The Hairy Triton (T. pilearis, Linn.) is recognised by its bristly coat of olive-hued epidermis, its fusiform shape and its red mouth crossed with long white raised ridges. The pale brown exterior is streaked with revolving bands and folds of white. Length, 2 to 6 inches.
Habitat.— Philippines, New Zealand.
The Triton (T.femorale, Linn.) has a triangu lar outline, and each whorl has a shoulder so distinctly angled as to stand out like a blade. The spiral ridges are rounded, separated by broad depressions which are also ridged. The ridges are dark brown, the lower areas reddish brown. This shell has a contracted base, which includes the straight canal, which is one-fourth the total length of the shell. The varices are prominent rounded folds of the ribbed surface. The rounded knobs are bright yellow. There is a thin bristly epidermis. "The varices originally served as models for the gadroon border used by 51 The Tritons and Frog Shells silversmiths in the decoration of plate."— Reeve. Lip and columella are smooth.
This West Indian species is 3 to 7 inches long.
The Tiger Triton (T. tigrinus, Brod.) 5 to 7 inches long, has the tiger's tawny colouring on its horny, tufted exterior. The lip flares when full grown in to a wide, wavy margin. The aper ture is orange.
Habitat. — West coast Central America.
The Club Triton (T. clavator, Lam.) is typical of a group of trumpet shells of pear shape, with long, narrow, twisted canal, and two shiny porcellanous lips, the inner one reflected over the columella. The revolving ridges bear tufted hairy fringes in life. The narrowed aperture has a bright red lining. The ex terior is whitish, the rounded varices marked with brown. Length, 2 to 5 inches.
Habitat.— Philippine Islands.
The Pear Triton (T. pyrum, Lam.) is a bright orange shell, lined with paler colour. The teeth of the lip are very strong and white. The columella bears narrow white folds. The long nar row base is curved. The exterior is strongly ridged and knobbed with prominent varices. The apex is blunt. Length, 3 to 4 inches.
Habitat.— Philippine Islands, Indian Ocean, Madagascar.
The Canaliculated Triton (T. caudatus, Gmel.) is dis tinguished from the species above by the deep canal that runs around the top of each whorl. It is a white shell, with double spiral ridges, and a long, slim, twisted canal. Length, 3 inches.
Habitat.— Chinese Seas.
The Chinese Triton (T. Sinensis, Rve.) has the size, form and colouring, but lacks the canal that sets it and T. caudatus apart.
The Quilted Triton (T. tuberosus, Lam.) has oblong swell ings all over its surface, and the mouth is stained with dark red. The six rounded varices are prominent and light coloured. The ground is ashy or dark brown. The noduled teeth are whitish. The columella is smooth, yellowish, and thickly enamelled. The canal is long and slightly curved. This commonest of the trumpet shells exhibits considerable variation in colouring and other char acters. Length, II to 21. inches.
Habitat.— West Indies, Indo-Pacific Ocean, Polynesia, Mauri tius.
52 The Tritons and Frog Shells The Spotted Triton (T. maculosus, Gmel.) is typical of a sub-genus in which the aperture is small, the canal short, and the spire long and gently curved. The surface is latticed with cross ing ridges of small size. The body whorl is swollen, with a wide inner lip reflected over the smooth columella. The pale ground is spotted with brown. The thick shell is three inches long.
Habitat.— Mauritius, Red Sea, Philippines.
Sub-genus Priene contains large, thin, white shells, with can cellated surfaces and swollen body whorls. They are usually lacking in varices. They are connecting links between the Tritons and related genera.
The Furred Triton (T. scaber, King) has close, thick, per sistently bristly epidermis, a low, broad spire, and wide mouth. The shell is white and finely cross-ridged. The lip is toothed within. Length, 1 I to 21 inches.
Habitat.— Arctic America to California.
The Cancellated Triton (T. cancellatus, Lam.) is a hand some fusiform shell, finely or coarsely sculptured by the inter section of many transverse and revolving ridges. Rounded nodules often mark these crossings, and these bear tufts of hair, sometimes half an inch long. Length, 3 to 41- inches.
Habitat.— Japan. Alaska to Straits of Magellan.
The Oregon Triton (T. Oregonensis), described by Redfield from a half-grown specimen, is considered by Tryon identical with the preceding species. It is common on the Northwest coasts, a handsome fusiform shell, with shaggy brown skin, deeply latticed surface, and smooth, white lining. Length, 4 to 6 inches.