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


Type Material:

Holotype: Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; LACM-AHF 147-34, Invertebrate Zoology Type Collection, catalog number 1236
Paratypes (5) : Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History; LACM-AHF 147-34, Invertebrate Zoology Type Collection, catalog numbers 1239, 1240, 1241, 1242, 1243
Paratypes (2): The American Museum of Natural His-tory; AMNH number 152604
Paratypes (2): The American Museum of Natural His-tory; AMNH number 152605
Paratype (1): Mrs. Jacqueline DeRoy collection for Amaea deroyae DuShane, 1970 - Type Locality: Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela (Albemarle Is-land), Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, 0°16' S Lat., 91°22' W Long., 6 specimens dredged by the Velero III at station AHF 147-34, in 30 fathoms, rock and coral bottom, 13 January 1934. Five additional specimens were dredged by Mrs. Jacqueline DeRoy at the same locality in 35 to 60 fathoms, 27 January 1968.. [DuShane, H., 1970b]
Holotype: LACM 1236 [as Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970:] - Type Locality: Tagus Cove, Isla Isabela, Galápagos, 00° 16'S, 91o 22'W, 30 fms [= 55 m], rock and coral bottom.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: LACM 1236 (dry). Paraytpes: LACM 1239 (4 dry). Holotype and paratype published as LACM-AHF 147-34. for Amaea deroyae DuShane, 1970 - Type Locality: 55 m, Caleta Tagus, Isla Isabela (= Albemarle Id.), Islas Galápagos (0 16.63 S, 91 22.73 W), Leg.: R/V Velero III, 13 JAN 1934.. [Groves, L.T., 2012]


SpeciesImage

arsint.com (2023).

13.2 mm
Carpenter, California.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

DuShane, H. (1970b).
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).
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
arsint.com (2023).
Species Image
13.2 mm
Carpenter, California.

Synonymy:

Amaea (Scalina) deroyae DuShane, 1970: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


Source Literature:

arsint.com (2023). Shells for Sale:Epitonidae. arsint.com. http://www.arsint.com/seashells_epitoniidae_opalia.html [Accessed 21 October 2023]
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. (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.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. (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]
Vries, T. J. De. (2007). Five new cenozoic epitoniids from southern Peru and the Neogene history of Scalina Conrad, 1865 (Gastropodaÿ

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record