Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Opalia corolla

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 5 mm - 6 mm high and 3 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.6:1 ~ 0.5:1

Shell: ovate; very thick; minute. Exterior colour chalky-white. About 6 whorls; protoconch with ~2 whorls smooth and somewhat glassy; teleoconch with ~4 whorls stepped, and ribbed. Suture impressed. Imperforate. Approximately 16 costae on the body whorl. Intercostal spaces deep interstices form a latticed, window-like pattern.. Base Towards the base, it is spirally ribbed, thick, fringed, and then beautifully radiate. Columella outer columellar margin is finely and densely latticed. Aperture round; peristome greatly thickened, continuous, spirally striated..

Distribution:

Philippines [arsint.com, 2023]; Gulf of Oman [Melvill & Standen, 1903a:348].

Habitat:

285.3m, in shell sand [Melvill & Standen, 1903a:348].

Etymology:

(corolla, dim. of corona).

Type Material:

Syntype [possible] EE.7709 (Townsend) for Opalia corolla (Melvill & Standen, 1903) - Type Locality: Gulf of Oman, lat 24°58'N., long. 56°54'E., 156 fathoms.. [McGhie, H.A., 2008]
Syntype: Manchester Museum (Townsend), MANCH.EE.7709 [as Scala (Cirsotrema) corolla Melvill & Standen, 1903] - Type Locality: Gulf of Oman, 24°58'N, 56°54' E., 156 fathoms. [Ablett J., Brown C., Gallichan J., Gordon D., Holmes A. M., Hunter T., Machin R., Morgenroth H., Oliver P. G., Petts R., Pye S., Reilly M., Rowson B., Salvador A., Sutcliffe R., Turner J. A, & Wood H., 2019]

SpeciesImage

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). pp: 18. Plate VII.

Scala (Cirsotrema) corolla sp.n. (Pl. VII., fig. 18).

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903).

Species Image

pp: 18. Plate VII.

Scala (Cirsotrema) corolla sp.n. (Pl. VII., fig. 18).

Species Image

pp: 348-349.

arsint.com (2023).

Species Image

Cirsotrema Scala corolla

Synonymy:

Scala (Cirsotrema) corolla Melvill & Standen, 1903 [in Ablett J., Brown C., Gallichan J., Gordon D., Holmes A. M., Hunter T., Machin R., Morgenroth H., Oliver P. G., Petts R., Pye S., Reilly M., Rowson B., Salvador A., Sutcliffe R., Turner J. A, & Wood H., 2019].
Scala (Cirsotrema) corolla Melvill & Standen, 1903 [in Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R., 1903a].

Source Literature:

Ablett J., Brown C., Gallichan J., Gordon D., Holmes A. M., Hunter T., Machin R., Morgenroth H., Oliver P. G., Petts R., Pye S., Reilly M., Rowson B., Salvador A., Sutcliffe R., Turner J. A, & Wood H. (2019). Mollusca Types in Britain & Ireland. https://gbmolluscatypes.ac.uk [Accessed 31 March 2026]
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]
McGhie, H.A. (2008). Catalogue of type specimens of molluscs in the collection of The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, UK.. ZooKeys. 4(32). http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.4.32 [Accessed 19 January 2026]
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). The genus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as represented in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new species.. Journal of Conchology. 10. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31650162 [Accessed 26 February 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 [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record