Header Image
Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Amaea deroyae

DuShane, 1970

Description:

Dimensions range from 13.2 mm - 22.8 mm high and 7.3 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.55:1 ~ 0.32:1

Shell: pyramidal, acuminate; thin; small to moderately small. Exterior colour pale brown. About 13 whorls, strongly convex, shoulder rounded. Suture deeply impressed. Imperforate. Approximately 31 costae on the body whorl. Costae are scalloped and leaf-like. Costae are prominent at the intersections of the spiral sculpture. Intercostal spaces with spiral ridges which create a reticulate pattern where they cross the costae. Interstices with approximately 6 - 8 spiral striae per whorl. Base bordered by a strong basal ridge and low, well defined reticulate sculpture. Columella short, terminating in a shallow sinus. Aperture subcircular; outer lip thin, with about 7 crenulations. Operculum operculum missing in holotype.


Distribution:

Gulf of California to the Tres Marias Islands, Mexico, and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador [Dushane, 1974]; Manabi Province, Ecuador [Shasky, 1996:86].


Habitat:

36-162m, rock and coral substrate, (DuShane 1974: 55].


Etymology:

The name honors Mrs. Jacqueline DeRoy of Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, an avid collector who contributed to the knowledge of the Galapagan fauna.


SpeciesImage

DuShane, H. (1970b). pp: 330. Plate 51. Fig. 2.

Figure 2
Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuSHANE, spec. nov.
Holotype: Tagus Cove, Albemarle Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Length 22.8 mm. Photograph X 1.2; courtesy Los Angeles County
Museum of Natural History

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Type Material:

DuShane [1970b: 330] and Boyko et al. [2001: 13] both list LACM 1239, 1240, 1241, 1242 and 1243 as paratypes; however, the LACM online catalogue returns a record only for LACM 1239 [Groves et al., 2026: LACM 1239].

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.
Amaea deroyae DuShane, 1970HolotypeLACM 1236. Caleta Tagus, Isla Isabela = Albemarle Id.), Islas Galápagos, Ecuador. Lat: 0 16.63S, Lon: 91 22.73W. 55m. Collected by: R/V Velero III. . 13/01/1934. [Groves, 2012: 72].LACM 1239. Caleta Tagus, Isla Isabela = Albemarle Id.), Islas Galápagos, Ecuador. Lat: 0 16.63S, Lon: 91 22.73W. 55m. Collected by: R/V Velero III. . 13/01/1934. [4 specimens]. [Groves, 2012: 72].ParatypeLACM 1239. Caleta Tagus, Isla Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador. Lat: -.2772, Lon: -91.379. 55m. . 13/01/1934. [4 specimens]. [Groves & Mertz, 2026: LACM 1239].
Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970HolotypeLACM 1236. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1236. Caleta Tagus, Isla Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador. Lat: -.2772, Lon: -91.379. 55m. . 13/01/1934. [Groves & Mertz, 2026: LACM 1236].LACM 1236. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador. Lat: 00° 16'S, Lon: 91° 22'W. 55m [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 63].LACM 1236. near Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Ecuador. 75-100m. [Boyko et al., 2001: 13].LACM 1236. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albe-marle Island), Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. [DuShane, 1974: 54].ParatypeAMNH 152604. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [35-60 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. Collected by: J. De Roy. . 27/01/1968. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].AMNH 152605. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [35-60 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. Collected by: J. De Roy. . 27/01/1968. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].AMNH 152604. near Tagus Cove, Isabella Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Collected by: J. De Roy. . 27/01/1968. [2 specimens]. [American Museum of Natural History, 2026: AMNH 152604].AMNH 152605. near Tagus Cove, Isabella Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Collected by: J. De Roy. . 30/01/1968. [2 specimens]. [American Museum of Natural History, 2026: AMNH 152605].AMNH 152604. near Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Ecuador. 75-100m. [2 specimens]. [Boyko et al., 2001: 13].AMNH 152605. near Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Ecuador. 75-100m. [2 specimens]. [Boyko et al., 2001: 13].Mrs. Jacqueline DeRoy collection. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].collection of J. DeRoy. near Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Ecuador. 75-100m. [Boyko et al., 2001: 13].LACM 1239. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Island), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1240. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1241. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1242. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1243. Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality, Ecuador. [station AHF 147-34] Lat: 0°16'S, Lon: 91°22'W. [30 fthms]. rock and coral bottom. . 13/01/1934. [DuShane, 1970b: 330].LACM 1239-1243. near Tagus Cove, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Pacific Ocean, Ecuador. 75-100m. [Boyko et al., 2001: 13].


DuShane, H. (1970b).
Shown in text as Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970
Species Image
pp: 330. Plate 51. Fig. 2.
Figure 2
Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuSHANE, spec. nov.
Holotype: Tagus Cove, Albemarle Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Length 22.8 mm. Photograph X 1.2; courtesy Los Angeles County
Museum of Natural History
DuShane, H. (1974).
Shown in text as Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970
Species Image
pp: 38. Fig. 67.
Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970. Holotype:LA CM-AHF 1236
Length 22.8 mm; width 7.3 mm X 3.7
DeVries, T. J. (2007).
Shown in text as Scalina deroyae (DuShane, 1970)
Species Image
pp: 240. Fig. 37-38.
Scalina deroyae (DuShane, 1970).
Figure 37
LACM 55642,
specimen 3. Apertural view. Length is 22.4 mm.
Figure 38.
LACM 128144
Mexico, Recent. Apertural view. Length is 19.8 mm.
Species Image
pp: 240. Fig. 35.
Scalina deroyae (DuShane, 1970).
LACM 55642, specimen 3. Mexico, Recent. Basal view. Width is 7.1 mm.

Synonymy:

Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970 [DuShane, 1970b: 330; DuShane, 1974: 54; Brown & Neville, 2015: 63; Boyko et al., 2001: 13; American Museum of Natural History, 2026: AMNH 152605; American Museum of Natural History, 2026: AMNH 152604; Groves & Mertz, 2026: LACM 1236]
Scalina deroyae (DuShane, 1970) [DeVries, 2007: 241]


Source Literature:

American Museum of Natural History (2026). Division of Invertebrate Zoology collections database. https://emu-prod.amnh.org/imulive/iz/iz.html [Accessed 1 September 2026]
arsint.com (2023). Shells for Sale:Epitonidae. arsint.com. http://www.arsint.com/seashells_epitoniidae_opalia.html [Accessed 21 October 2023]
Boyko, C. B., & Cordeiro, J. R. (2001). Catalog of recent type specimens in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History. V. Mollusca, part 2 (Class Gastropoda [exclusive of Opisthobranchia and Pulmonata], with supplements to Gastropoda [Opisthobranchia], and Bivalvia).. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 262. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298847335 [Accessed 26 January 2026]
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]
DeVries, T. J. (2007). Five new cenozoic epitoniids from southern Peru and the Neogene history of Scalina Conrad, 1865 (Gastropoda : Epitoniidae) in the Americas.. The Veliger. 49(4). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/97870 [Accessed 19 October 2025]
DuShane, H. (1970b). Two New Epitoniidae from the Galápagos Islands.. The Veliger. 12(3). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42516564#page/460/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]
Groves, L.& Mertz, W. (2026). LACM Malacology. Version 1.26. Occurrence dataset. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. https://doi.org/10.15468/xxm2eb accessed via GBIF.org [Accessed 12 September 2026]
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]
Shasky, D.R. (1983). A Preliminary Checklist of Molluscs form Manabi Province, Ecuador. Annual Report Western Society of Malacologists. 16. https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/annualrepor1119197886west/annualrepor1119197886west.pdf [Accessed 8 July 2026]
Shasky, D.R. (1996). Additional distributional records of interesting and rarely collected marine gastropods (Epitoniidae) from the tropical eastern Pacific. Festivus. 28(8). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/195791 [Accessed 14 November 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 at VLIZ. [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record