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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium robillardi

(Sowerby III, 1894)

Description:

Dimensions range from 6.91 mm - 22.5 mm high and 4.8 mm - 13.3 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.69:1 ~ 0.59:1

Shell: pyramidal, relatively broad but variable; minute to moderately small. Exterior colour greyish white, yellowish white or light brown, with 2-3 brown spiral brownish-orange bands on each whorl, glossy, costae white. About 10 whorls, connected; body whorl strongly inflated; protoconch conical with ~3 whorls convex; teleoconch with ~7 whorls convex. Spire sharply conical. Suture simple, deeply impressed, narrowly fenestrate. Umbilicate: slightly open, concealed by inner lip of aperture. Approximately 14 - 26 costae on the body whorl. Costae are prosocline, low, thin, blade-like, some thickened. Costae aligned; not peaked; weakly reflexed; discon­tinuous across the suture. Intercostal spaces smooth, glossy. Columella slightly reflexed over umbilicus. Aperture roundly ovate; peristome complete, thickened; outer lip normal rib externally. Operculum corneous.


Distribution:

Pacific coast Japan; Philippines [Nakayama, 2003:72]; Queensland south to Sydney NSW, Australia [Beechey, 2008]; Gulf of Thailand [Wells et al., 2021:128]; India, Red Sea; Tanzania, Natal, South Africa [Kilburn, 1985:305]; Mauritius [Jousseaume, 1912:211]. Jousseaume [1912:211] also notes the species is abundant in the Red Sea and the Sea of Aden


Habitat:

intertidal [Kilburn, 1985:305] to 80m [Robba E et al., 2004:87]; known from beach drift [Beechey, 2008]


Etymology:

possibly named after Jean Aimé Victor (Victor) de Robillard, Mauritian sugar plantation owner, natural historian and plant collector as well as an Active member of the Natural History Society of Mauritius. [Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Historical series 19 (1991) p. 196]


Type Material:

Syntype: NHMUK 1880.3.2.3-5, 1882.8.28.23 + 30, 1889.9.4.11-13 for Epitonium robillardi (Sowerby III, 1894) - Type Locality: Mauritius.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]


SpeciesImage

Sowerby, G. B. III (1894). Plate IV. Fig. 5.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Sowerby, G. B. III (1894).
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Plate IV. Fig. 5.
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pp: 42. Plate 43.
original description
Jousseaume, F. (1912).
Shown in text as Papyriscala robillardi
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Plate V. Fig. 3-5.
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
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Syntype: BMNH type collection
Kilburn, R.N (1985).
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118, NM J4636, Benguera Island, Mozambique, 8,6 x 4,5 mm;
Wilson, B.R. (1993).
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Gunnamatta Bay, Port Hacking, NSW (C.unreg)
Nakayama, T. (2003).
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pp: 138. Plate 18. Fig. 28-29.
figs 28-29:
Epitonium (Papyriscala) robillardi (Sowerby, 1894)
height 22.5 mm; breadth 13.3 mm (KC)

Synonymy:

Papyriscala robillardi [in Jousseaume, F., 1912].


Source Literature:

Abubakr, M., M. (2004). The Republic of Yemen Marine Biotic Ecosystem (Resources, Habitats, and Species). The Republic of Yemen Ministry of Water and Environmnet and Environment Protction Authority. https://ye.chm-cbd.net/sites/ye/files/2022-05/Marine%20species%20in%20Yemen.pdf [Accessed 10 November 2025]
Barnard, K. H. (1963). Contributions to the knowledge of South African marine Mollusca. Part III. Gastropoda: Prosobranchiata: Taenioglossa. Annals of the South African Museum.. 47(1). http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40854388 [Accessed 26 December 2025]
Beechey, D. (2008a). Epitonium_robillardi. Seashells of NSW. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Epitonium_robillardi.htm [Accessed 8 May 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]
Gemert L van (2003). Marine schelpen verzamelen op Ko Samui (Golf van Thailand). De Kreukel. 39
Jousseaume, F. (1912). Faune malacologique de la Mer Rouge. Scalidae. Mémoires de la Société Zoologique de France.. 24(3-4). Mémoires de la Société Zoologique de France.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/10095979 [Accessed 1 March 2025]
Kaicher, S.D. (1980). Epitoniidae I [Pack 23]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Kilburn, R.N (1985). The family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in southern Africa and Mozambique. Annals of the Natal Museum. 27(1). Natal Museum
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
Robba, E & Di Geronimo, S & Chaimanee, N & Negri, M & Sanfilippo, R. (2004). Holocene and recent shallow soft-bottom mollusks from the Northern Gulf of Thailand area: Scaphopoda, Gastropoda, addition to Bivalvia.. La Conchiglia, International shell magazine. 35
Sowerby, G. B. III (1894). Descriptions of twelve new species, chiefly from Mauritius. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London. 1(2). Malacological Society of London. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15167324 [Accessed 1 April 2025]
Thiele, J. (1925). Gastropoden der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition. II Teil. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899.. 17(2). https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/3NJJP6TFO3ZWXZDRTI2CZV66VP76UDWR [Accessed 26 October 2025]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
Wells, E., Sanpanich, K., Tan, S. K, & Duangdee, T. (2021). The Marine and Estuarine Molluscs of Thailand. Lee Kong Chian natural History Museum
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record