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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Propescala translucida

(Gatliff, 1906)

Description:

Dimensions range from 6 mm - 6.9 mm high and 2.3 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.38:1 ~ 0.33:1

Shell: elongate; fairly solid; minute. Exterior colour white, semi-translucent, 3 faint spiral light-brown bands. About 11 whorls, convex, with a bold peripheral rib; protoconch bulbous with ~2 whorls submammillate, smooth at first, then developing axial riblets; teleoconch with ~9 whorls convex. Suture well-defined, deep. Imperforate. Approximately 12 - 18 costae on the body whorl. Costae are strong, round, crossed by numerous spiral lirae. Costae slightly peaked at the upper suture. Intercostal spaces with fine spiral threads which continue onto the base. Interstices with approximately 12 spiral striae per whorl. Base somewhat concave, with basal ridge. Aperture circular, lip thickened.


Distribution:

Backstairs Passage, deep water, 6 recent, none alive.; Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia [Wilson, 1993:275, Cotton & Godfrey, 1931:7, and Macpherson & Gabriel, 1962:118]


Habitat:

not reported


Etymology:

[latin] from translucidus = translucent


Type Material:

Holotype: Gatliff collection for Propescala translucida (Gatliff, 1906) - Type Locality: Portsea, Port Phillip, Victoria, in shell sand.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: SM D.13456 [as Scala valida Verco, 1906] - Type Locality: Backstairs Passage [South Australia], deep water.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]


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Gatliff, J. H. (1906). Fig. 3-4.

Original illustration

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Gatliff, J. H. (1906).
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Fig. 3-4.
Original illustration
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original description
Verco, J.C. (1906).
Shown in text as Cirsotrema validum (Verco, 1906)
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Fig. 7.
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pp: 147.
Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931).
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Plate I. Fig. 5.
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pp: 7.

Synonymy:

Cirsotrema translucida (Gatliff, 1906) [in Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B., 1999].
Cirsotrema validum (Verco, 1906) [in Verco, J.C., 1906].
Scala valida Verco, 1906 [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


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]
Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931). South Australian Shells Part II. The South Australian Naturalist. 13(1). Field Naturalists Society of South Australia. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42129287 [Accessed 8 June 2025]
Gatliff, J. H. (1906). On some Victorian marine Mollusca, new species and others little-known.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8272406. 19(1). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8272406 [Accessed 11 June 2023]
Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. (1962). Marine Molluscs of Victoria. Melbourne University Press and National Museum of Victoria: Melbourne.. https://archive.org/details/marinemolluscsof0000jhop/page/118/mode/2up [Accessed 13 June 2025]
Verco, J.C. (1906). Notes on South Australian marine Mollusca, with descriptions of new species. Part IV.. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 30 Pt 4. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16124267 [Accessed 19 June 2023]
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