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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; slightly peaked at the suture; recurved; separate between whorls. 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, 300 m [Nakayama, 2003:64]


Habitat:

100-300m


Type Material:

Holotype: C.060655 Australian Museum for Epitonium pindasum (Iredale, 1936) - Type Locality: Sydney Harbour,. [Beechey, 2008]
Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia for Epitonium pindasum (Iredale, 1936). [Nakayama, T., 2003]


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

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).
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Plate xxii. Fig. 17.
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pp: 301. Plate xxii.
original description
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
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Card #: EP2-3034.
Holotype: Australian Museum C.60655
Nakayama, T. (2003).
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pp: 133. Plate 15. Fig. 4-5.
figs 4-5:
Epitonium (Parviscala) pindasum (Iredale, 1936) height 22.1 mm; breadth 9.0 mm (WIMNH-Mo-Na607)
Beechey, D. (2008).
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Fig. 1: HOLOTYPE Sydney Harbour, dredge Triton (C.060655)
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Fig. 2: HOLOTYPE Detail of sculpture.

Source Literature:

Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Epitonium_pindasum. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Epitonium_pindasum.htm [Accessed 9 May 2023]
Hutchings, P., Ahyong, S., Ashcroft, M., McGrouther, M., & Reid, A (2013). Sydney Harbour: Its diverse biodiversity. Australian Zoologist. 36. https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2012.031 [Accessed 10 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. 1. Odessey Publications
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record