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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium heloris

(Iredale, 1936)

Description:

Dimensions range from 9.3 mm - 14 mm high and 4.8 mm - 7 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.52:1 ~ 0.5:1

Shell: broadly elongate; thin; small. Exterior colour white. About 9 whorls, well rounded; strongly sculptured; protoconch with 1.5-2 whorls polished smooth, white; teleoconch with ~7 whorls rounded, tightly coiled. Suture deep. Imperforate: where the costae would normally converge and fuse, a single strong costa is formed. Approximately 14 - 15 costae on the body whorl. Costae are thin. Costae flatten below the suture, forming a pseudo-shoulder, which broadens into an erect spine; recurved. Intercostal spaces crossed by fine, closely packed spiral striae crossed by growth lines forming very fine cancellated sculpture. Aperture ovate, slightly detached from the last whorl, lip lies closely against surface of the whorl, framed by a strong varix; peristome complete.


Distribution:

off Simoda Izu Peninsula, Japan [Nakayama, 2003:55]; Sydney, Australia [Iredale, 1936:296]


Habitat:

60m


Etymology:

unsure, but may be related to helios [greek] = the sun in reference to the star burst shape of the shell


Type Material:

Type from Sydney Harbour dredgings. Habitat, New South Wales. [as Mazescala heloris, sp. novo]. [Iredale, T., 1936]
Holotype: Australian Museum AMS C.60642 for Epitonium heloris (Iredale, 1936) - Locality: Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]


SpeciesImage

Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 3.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).
Shown in text as Mazescala heloris, sp. novo
Species Image
Plate xxii. Fig. 3.
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pp: 296. Plate xxii.
original description
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
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Card #: EP2-3029.
Holotype: Australian Museum C. 60642
Nakayama, T. (2003).
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pp: 133. Plate 15. Fig. 6-8.
]height 9.3 mm; breadth 4.8 mm (NSMT-Mo 71426);
fig. 6-7, shell
fig. 8, protoconch

Synonymy:

Mazescala heloris, sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].


Source Literature:

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]
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
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record