| INTRODUCTION The members of the Ivory Shell genus Babylonia Schlüter, 1838, belonging to the Buccinidae, are characterized by more or less slender buccinoid shells, mostly ornamented with a beautiful colour-pattern. Some species, e.g. the type species B. spirata, have a conspicuous sutural canal (see pl. 8 figs. 1-3), resembling the spirally arranged staircase of the Babylonian Tower in certain old pictures (pl. 6 fig. 1). Some of the species are found in many collections, others are rarely seen. A l l Recent members of the genus are restricted to the Indo-Pacific region. The fossil Babylonia species are found in a more extensive area, including southern and central Europe. The Recent species have been treated in the well known iconographies of the... |
