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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium pindasum

(Iredale, 1936)

Description:

Dimensions range from 14 mm - 22.1 mm high and 7 mm - 9 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.5:1 ~ 0.41:1

Shell: slender, broadly awl-shaped; small to moderately small. Exterior colour dirty white. About 8 whorls, rounded, disconnected, joined only by costae; protoconch long, smooth and glassy; teleoconch with 7-8 whorls convex. Suture deep, narrowly open. Imperforate: closed by basal rib, slit-like, almost closed. Approximately 16 costae on the body whorl. Costae are stout, crenelated, tall which join together at the base to close the umbillicus. Costae mostly aligned from whorl to whorl; separate between whorls; slightly peaked at the suture; recurved. Intercostal spaces fine spiral striae with finer intermediate threads. Interstices with approximately 12 spiral striae per whorl. Base costae terminate in a thick cord beside inner lip of aperture. Aperture roundly ovate; peristome complete; outer lip with a varix formed by the last costa.


Distribution:

Sydney Harbour Australia, known only from holotype [Beechey, 2008]; Japan, off Kushimoto, Kii Peninsula [Nakayama, 2003:64].


Habitat:

100-300m [Nakayama, 2003:64].


Etymology:

Not stated; derivation uncertain.


SpeciesImage

Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 17.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Type Material:

The following list brings together type material and other cited specimens as reported in the sources examined, grouped under the names and designations used in each source. The same specimen may appear in multiple entries drawn from different sources. Some entries concern other species included by authors for comparison; inclusion in this list does not imply synonymy.
Epitonium pindasum (Iredale, 1936)HolotypeAMS C.060655. Sydney Harbour, Australia. [Beechey, 2008n].AMS C.60655. [Kaicher, 1981: EP2-3034].
Epitonium (Parviscala) pindasum (Iredale, 1936)TypeSydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. [Nakayama, 2003: 64].
Foliaceiscala pindasa Iredale, 1936HolotypeAMS C.60655. New South Wales, Sydney Harbour, Australia. Lat: 33° 51' 00'S, Lon: 151° 14' 00'E. Collected by: Comtesse, Captain D L. . 1928 - 1929. Dredged. [Australian Museum, 2026: C.60655].


Iredale, T. (1936).
Shown in text as oliaceiscala pindasa Iredale, 1936
Species Image
Plate xxii. Fig. 17.
Species Image
pp: 301. Plate xxii.
original description
Australian Museum (2026).
Shown in text as oliaceiscala pindasa Iredale, 1936
Species Image
Fig. C.60655.
Foliaceiscala pindasa Iredale, 1936
Holotype: C.60655
Australia, New South Wales, Sydney Harbour (33° 51' 00" S, 151° 14' 00" E) 1928 - 1929, Comtesse, Captain D L(Collector), Dredged.
Australian Museum. Photograph: M. Allen.
Copyright Australian Museum. Released under Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0.

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Parviscala) pindasum (Iredale, 1936) [Nakayama, 2003: 64]
Foliaceiscala pindasa Iredale, 1936 [Iredale, 1936: 301; Australian Museum, 2026: C.60655]


Source Literature:

Australian Museum (2026). Australian Museum provider for OZCAM. Occurrence dataset. Atlas of Living Australia. https://doi.org/10.15468/e7susi accessed via GBIF.org [Accessed 18 July 2026]
Beechey, D. (2008n). Epitonium_pindasum. Seashells of NSW. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Epitonium_pindasum.htm [Accessed 9 May 2023]
Hutchings, P. & Ahyong, S. & Ashcroft, M. & Mcgrouther, Mark & Reid, A. (2013). Sydney Harbour: its diverse biodiversity. Australian Zoologist. 36. http://dx.doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2012.031 [Accessed 28 February 2026]
Iredale, T. (1936). Australian molluscan notes. No. 2.. Records of the Australian Museum. 19(5). Australian Museum, Sydney. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.19.1936.704 [Accessed 14 September 2023]
Kaicher, S.D. (1981). Epitoniidae II [Pack 30]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
Wilson, B.R. (1993). Australian Marine Shells. Australian Marine Shells. Vol.1. Odessey Publications
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record