General Appearance.—Shell conical, often steeply conical; orifice rather small, with the radii narrow, and generally in the fossil specimens very oblique; surface generally smooth, sometimes rugged, and in the coralline crag specimens generally ribbed longitudinally, the ribs being narrow. Colour various, either dull reddish-purple with narrow nearly white, or wider dark longitudinal bands; or, again, pale rosy-pink with broad white bands; or lastly, wholly white. The radii are either darker or paler than the parietes. The opercular valves are either dark purple or nearly white. Pale pink and white stripes are visible on some of the Italian and Portuguese tertiary specimens; and in most of the fossils the sheath is tinged dull red.
Dimensions.—The largest actually recent specimen which I have seen, from the Philippine Archipelago, had a basal diameter of 1.2 of an inch; the Peruvian pleistocene specimen is 1.7 in diameter; specimens from the crag and from the Italian deposits, however, sometimes slightly exceed two inches in basal diameter, and three in height.
Scuta: these in young and moderately-sized specimens are striated, sometimes very faintly, but generally plainly, causing the lines of growth to be beaded; but often, in large and half-grown specimens, the lines of growth are extremely prominent, and being intersected by the radiating striæ, are converted into little teeth. As the striæ often run in pairs, the little teeth frequently stand in pairs, or broader teeth have a little notch on their summits, bearing a minute tuft of spines. In very old and large specimens, the prominent lines of growth are generally simply intersected by deep and narrow radiating striæ. In one case, a single zone of growth in one valve was quite smooth, whilst the zones above and below were denticulated. The valve varies in thickness, which I think influences the prominence of the lines of growth and the depth of the striæ. These striæ often affect the internal surface of the basal margin, making it bluntly toothed. The articular ridge is rather small, and moderately reflexed: the adductor ridge (as already stated,) varies remarkably; in most of the Panama specimens, it is extremely prominent, and extends down to near the basal margin; in other specimens it is but slightly prominent, especially in some of the fossil specimens from Virginia. The cavity for the lateral depressor, also, varies greatly; it is often bounded on the side towards the occludent margin by a very slight straight ridge, which occasionally folds a little over, making almost a tube; this, at first, I thought an excellent specific character, but far from this being the case, the cavity often becomes wide, quite open, and shallow.
Terga, very slightly beaked; the surface towards the carinal end of the valve, in some of the fossil specimens, is very slightly striated longitudinally. There is either a slight depression, or more commonly a deep longitudinal furrow, with the edges folded in and touching each other, extending down the valve to the spur, and causing the latter to vary in width relatively to its length. When the furrow is closed in, the spur is about one fourth of the entire width of the valve, and has its lower end obliquely rounded, and stands at about its own width from the basi-scutal angle: when there is only a slight depression and no furrow (as is always the case with young specimens), the spur is broader, equalling one third of the width of the valve, with its lower end almost truncated, and standing at about half its own width from the basi-scutal angle. But the absolute length of the spur, also, varies considerably; it is often very long, compared to the whole valve. The basal margin on the carinal side is sometimes slightly hollowed out; when the furrow is closed, this latter side slopes towards the spur. Internally, the articular ridge and crests for the tergal depressor muscle are moderately prominent.
Parietes, the longitudinal septa sometimes stand near each other, making the parietal pores small. The radii have oblique summits, but to a variable degree; their septa are unusually fine, and are denticulated on their lower sides; the interspaces are filled up solidly. The alæ have their summits very oblique, with their sutural edges nearly or quite smooth. In most of the fossil specimens, and slightly in some of the recent specimens, the surface of the sheath presents an unusual character, in a narrow, longitudinal, slightly raised border, running along the sutures, on the carinal side of each compartment.
Basis thin, porose; sometimes with an underlaying cancellated layer.
Mouth: labrum with six teeth: mandibles with the fourth and fifth teeth small, either sharp, or blunt: maxillæ with a straight edge, or with the inferior part slightly prominent. Cirri with the rami of the first pair unequal by four or five segments: the segments in the shorter ramus are extremely protuberant. The segments in the second cirrus only moderately protuberant: but all the specimens were in bad condition, and it appeared as if, in the Panama specimens, the segments of the second cirrus were more protuberant than in the Philippine Island specimens. In the posterior cirri there are from three to five pairs of spines on each segment: even amongst the Panama specimens some had three and some four pairs, and a white Panama specimen had five pairs of spines.
All the recent specimens which I have seen, were, with one exception, attached to various shells and crabs, and to each other. The Peruvian specimen was associated with [B. flosculus]. The tertiary specimens are often congregated together into great masses. Including the recent and fossil specimens, this species encircles the globe. During the miocene period it seems to have been the commonest existing sessile cirripede; now, it does not appear to be common, excepting, perhaps, at Panama: Mr. Cuming procured only one specimen from the Philippine archipelago.