Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Acirsa cerralvoensis

(DuShane, 1970)

Description:

Dimensions range from 11 mm - 16 mm high and 3.7 mm - 4.2 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.34:1 ~ 0.26:1

Shell: tall and slender; thin but strong; small. Exterior colour light brown. About 14 whorls; protoconch with ~2 whorls opaque; teleoconch with 10-12 whorls gradually enlarging, rounded. Suture moderately impressed. Approximately 16 costae on the body whorl. Costae are gradually becoming obsolete on later whorls, axial ridges pale brown. Intercostal spaces with spiral ridges wider than the interspaces. Interstices with approximately 19 spiral striae per whorl. Base no basal ridge. Columella arched. , lip thin; outer lip lip thin. Operculum horn colored, paucispiral.

Distribution:

West side of the Gulf of California south and west to Cape San Lucas, Mexico

Habitat:

7-38 m on sand substrate [DuShane, 1979]

Etymology:

Named for Cerralvo Island, the shell's type locality

Type Material:

Holotype: LACM no. 1200; Paratype LACM no. 1201; west side of Cerralvo Island, Baja California Sur, Gulf of California, Mexico. for Acirsa cerralvoensis (DuShane, 1970) - Locality: west side of Cerralvo Island, Baja California Sur, Gulf of California, Mexico.. [DuShane, H., 1979]
Holotype: LACM 1200 for Acirsa cerralvoensis (DuShane, 1970) - Locality: West side of Cerralvo Island, Gulf of California. [DuShane, H., 1974]
Holotype: LACM 1200 for Acirsa cerralvoensis (DuShane, 1970) - Locality: west side of Cerralvo Island, Baja California del Sur, Mexico, 24° 11'N, 109° 55'W, 7 fms [= 13 m], sand bottom.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holoptype: LACM 1200 (dry); PARATYPE: LACM 1201 (1 dry), for Acirsa cerralvoensis (DuShane, 1970) - Locality: 13 m, W side of Isla Cerralvo, Golfo de California, Baja California Sur, México (24 11 N, 109 55 W), Leg.: J.H. McLean, P. Oringer & L. Marincovich, 09 APR 1966.. [Groves, L.T., 2012]

SpeciesImage

DuShane, H. (1970). pp: 4. Fig. 3.

3, Epitonium (Acirsa) cerralvoensis sp. nov., holotype, LACM 1200. X 5

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Dushane, H. (1970).

Shown in text as Epitonium cerralvoense DuShane, 1970

Species Image

pp: 4. Fig. 3.

3, Epitonium (Acirsa) cerralvoensis sp. nov., holotype, LACM 1200. X 5

Species Image

pp: 3.

Species Image

pp: 4.

Dushane, H. (1974).

Species Image

pp: 34. Fig. 60.

Figure 60: Epitonium (Acirsa) cerralvoensis DuShane, 1970. Ho- lotype, LACM 1200; length 11. 8 mm; width 3.7mm

Species Image

pp: 49.

Species Image

pp: 50.

Dushane, H. (1979).

Species Image

pp: 99. Fig. 2.

Acirsa cerralvoensis (DuShane, 1970). Holotype, LACM 1200; length, 1 1.8 mm; width, 3.7 mm X 3.6

Synonymy:

Epitonium cerralvoense DuShane, 1970 [in DuShane, H., 1970].

Source Literature:

Brown, L. & Neville, B.D. (2015). Catalog of the recent taxa of the families Epitoniidae and Nystiellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) with a bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. Zootaxa. 3907(1). Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3907.1.1 [Accessed 22 October 2023]
DuShane, H. (1970). Five New Epitoniid Gastropods from the West Coast of the Americas. Los Angeles County Museum Contributions in Science. 185. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/52108947#page/221/mode/1up [Accessed 25 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1974). The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae. The Veliger. 16 (Sup. 14). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42500298 [Accessed 25 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1979). The Family Epitoniidae in the Northeastern Pacific. The Veliger. 22(2). California Malacozoological Society, Inc.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/134937#page/7/mode/1up [Accessed 28 June 2023]
Groves, L.T. (2012). Catalog of Recent Molluscan Types in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Natural History Museum of Los Angels County, Malacology Section. https://www.academia.edu/77579686/Catalog_of_Recent_Molluscan_Types_in_the_Natural_History_Museum_of_Los_Angeles_County [Accessed 8 August 2025]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record