Cirsotrema varicosum
(Lamarck, 1822)
Description:
Dimensions range from 9 mm - 70.2 mm high and 5.2 mm - 33 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.58:1 ~ 0.47:1
Shell: slender conical, turreted; thick, very robust; small to medium. Exterior colour blueish white, white or sand coloured. About 12 whorls, convex, compressed, distinct; protoconch creamy white or yellowish, smooth; teleoconch with 12-11 whorls more or less prominent, the last one encircled by an anterior keel. Spire tall, acute. Suture deep, channelled, interrupted by extending laminae. Imperforate: umbilicus absent. Approximately 16 - 21 costae on the body whorl. Costae are small, flattened, wavelike and finely crenulate, the roughness of the fringes are sharper towards the suture, prominent at the lower keel. There are 1 - 2 varices arranged randomly on the shell. They are large, thick, crenulated, roughly aligned up the side, and bear thick rugae where the spiral ribs cross. Costae not in line on adjoining whorls; few peaks merged with costae on preceding whorl; often coronate, raised and produced at the suture. Intercostal spaces spiral ribs form a cancellate pattern where they cross the costae with small, but deep pits in the interstices. Base with thick spiral ridge consisting of overlapping, flattened nodules situated close to the columella. Columella thick, with a deep slot between columella and rib. Aperture rounded, with a thick margin; inner lip expanded and reflected.
Distribution:
Hawaii and Polynesia to northern Mozambique [Kilburn, 1985:255]; Off Kii Peninsula to Okinawa, Japan [Nakayama, 2003:23-24]; Taiwan [Huang & Lee, 2016:15]; Abrolhols, WA to Southern QLD [Wilson, 1993:274], NSW [Dushane, 1990:3], Tasmania [Tate & May, 1901:379]; Indonesia and New Caledonia [Kokshoorn et al., 2007:37]; Mauritius [Tryon, 1887:81]; Rio de Janieiro, Brazil [Boury, 1911:34]
Habitat:
intertidal to 270m on sand & rubble substrate underneath the anemones Stichodactyla haddoni, Actinodendron plumosum, Actinodendron arboreum, Heteractis crispa and Macrodactyla doreensis [Kokshoorn et al., 2007:37]
Etymology:
[latin] from varicosus = varicose, full of dilated veins, possibly in reference to the appearance of the sculpture
Type Material:
Syntype: BMNH 198144/1 [as Cirsotrema multiperforatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1874)] - Type Locality: Black River Bay, Mauritius. [Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A, 2007]
Type not located [as Scalaria abbreviata G.B. Sowerby II, 1874: ~ Scala (Cirsotrema) joubini de Boury, 1913c.] - Type Locality: Tamarind Bay, near Black River, Mauritius.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: MNHN 4222 [as Scala bavayi de Boury, 1913:] - Type Locality: New Caledonia.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Type not located [as Scalaria fimbriata Lamarck, 1816:] - Type Locality: none given. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: NHMUK 1902.11.26.71 [as Scalaria multiperforata G.B. Sowerby II, 1874:] - Type Locality: Black River Bay, Mauritius.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: MNHN-IM-2000-4222 Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle [as Scala bavayi de Boury, 1912] - Type Locality: New Caledonia. [MNHN, 2025c]
Type not listed in source data for Cirsotrema varicosum (Lamarck, 1822) - Type Locality: none designated. [Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y., 1999]
Type not listed in source data [as Cirsotrema abbreviatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1874)] - Type Locality: Philippines. [Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y., 1999]
Type not listed in source data for Cirsotrema varicosum (Lamarck, 1822) - Type Locality: 'Nouvelle-Calédonie' (New Caledonia).. [Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y., 1999]
Murrell (2025).
off Broome, Western Australia.
Trawled by scampi boats in muddy sand from 450-480m.
Distribution
as listed in source literature
Kiener, L. C., & Fischer, P. (1838b).
Shown in text as Scalaria varicosa Lamarck, 1822
Plate VII. Fig. 22.
Plate VII. Fig. 22.
pp: 22.
Varicose Wentletrap-Scalaria varicosa Lamarck
(Mass and Lamarck collections)
Encyclopédie, pl. 451, fig. 4.
(Pl. VII, fig. 22)
Shell turreted, apex imperforate, white; ribs very fine, reclining, crenately fringed; with very numerous, somewhat thick, alternating scattered varices.
Shell very elongate, turreted, narrow, and very pointed at the apex; composed of 9-10 granular, concave, rather narrow whorls separated by a deep suture. The whorls are covered with numerous fine longitudinal lamellae crossed by very small striae, as are the interspaces between them. Upon these lamellae arise numerous small scales remarkable for their delicacy and elegance; those bordering the suture are more acute. Several varices, representing former apertural margins, are visible on some whorls. Aperture moderate, perfectly rounded, externally bordered by a thick varix. At the base of the last whorl is a weak keel formed by a series of closely packed, imbricate scales. General colour white.
Length 2 inches.
Habitat. Not stated.
This rather rare species has an attractive appearance owing to the irregular patterns formed by the asperities covering its surface. In some individuals the scaly lamellae disappear on the convexity of the whorls, although they always persist near the suture.
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).
Plate xxxv. Fig. 126.
Plate xxxv. Fig. 128.
Plate xxxv. Fig. 143.
Reeve, L.A. (1873).
Plate ii. Fig. 11a.
Plate ii. Fig. 11b.
Reeve, L.A. (1873).
Shown in text as Scalaria multiperforata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Plate xiv. Fig. 125.
described as Scalaria multiperforata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Reeve, L.A. (1873).
Shown in text as Scalaria abbreviata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Plate xiv. Fig. 124.
described as Scalaria abbreviata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Shown in text as Scalaria varicosa Lamarck, 1822, Scalaria abbreviata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Plate 17. Fig. 23.
Plate 17. Fig. 27.
Scalaria abbreviata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
pp: 81.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Plate 3. Fig. 7.
Plate 1. Fig. 2.
The illustration on our Plate 1, Fig. 2 is based on a specimen from the Stuttgart Natural History Museum, in which the longitudinal folds are more clearly developed than in the depiction of the species given by Reeve (Plate 3, Fig. 7).
pp: 9-10.
Shell white, thick, ornamented with nodular spiral ridges; whorls distinct, the last keeled spirally below; suture deep, frequently interrupted by projecting lamellae; varices very rare, thick, crenulated; aperture round, outer lip expanded and reflexed above and below.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Plate 4. Fig. 6.
pp: 16.
Shell short, thick, somewhat bluish, imperforate, spirally grooved; ribs flat, undulating, angled and looped on one side, spined at the suture, and projecting at the lower keel; interstices deeply pitted at the suture and keel; whorls few, somewhat sloping above; last whorl keeled below, thickened at the aperture margin; varices large, thick, crenulated, very few; aperture nearly round, margin thick and crenate.
Kilburn, R.N (1985).
pp: 255. Plate Fig 21, 22 .
21. Cirsotrema (Cirsotrema) varicosum (Lamarck, 1822),
NM H4857, Conducia Bay, Mozambique, 41,9x ÍS,8 mm;
22, C.varicosum, NM H4856, Conducia Bay, 34,1 x 14,2 mm.
Nakayama, T. (2003).
pp: 109. Plate 3. Fig. 17-20.
figs 17-19: Cirsotrema (Cirsotrema) varicosum (Lamarck, 1822)
height 70.2 mm; breadth 23.0 mm (NA); fig. 19, base
fig. 20:
height 9.0 mm; breadth 5.2 mm (ND)
Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A (2007).
pp: 38. Fig. 2-3.
described as Cirsotrema multiperforata (Sowerby [II],1874)
2 syntype (BMNH198144), H=16.3mm;
3 E.side of Samalona island (RMNH87814),H=18.1mm
Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A (2007).
pp: 38. Plate 4-4a.
4 Indonesia, Bali, NE.side of Pulau Serangan island, 22m depth, RMNH91205, H=15.0mm;
4a, H=26.6 mm;
pp: 38. Plate 5a.
C.varicosum (Lamarck,1822)
5a W.side of Kudingareng Keke island (RMNH87813),H=54.7mm;
pp: 38. Plate 5-6.
C.varicosum (Lamarck,1822)
5a W.side of Kudingareng Keke island (RMNH87813),H=54.7mm;
6 W.side of Kudingareng Keke island (RMNH 87771),H=47.1 mm).
Murrell (2025).
off Broome, Western Australia.
Trawled by scampi boats in muddy sand from 450-480m.
MNHN (2025c).
