Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium replicatum

(G. B. Sowerby II, 1844)

Description:

Dimensions range from 6.5 mm - 19 mm high and 3.63 mm - 10 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.56:1 ~ 0.53:1

Shell: stout, short, conical; minute to small. Exterior colour white, whorls dark grey on live-taken specimens, costae white. About 14 whorls, convex, swollen, disconnected, joined only by costae, very loosely coiled; protoconch conical with ~4 whorls smooth, glassy; teleoconch with 5-10 whorls. Suture very deep, slightly fenestrated. Umbilicate: minute, fenestrated. Approximately 6 - 11 costae on the body whorl. Costae are prominent but relatively thin, erect, sharp- edged. Costae aligned from whorl to whorl; hooked, expanded into an elevated lobe near the suture; strongly reflected to form a canal behind each costa; continuous over the suture, fusing with the costae on previous whorls. Intercostal spaces smooth, glossy, with microscopic spiral striae. Aperture round, slightly oval; peristome thick and complete. Operculum dark, horny.

Distribution:

Gulf of California, Mexico, to the Galápagos and southern Panama; Hawaii [Dushane, 1974:43]; the Philippines; Japan, Boso Peninsula to Kyushu [Nakayama, 2003]; Sulu Archipelago, Indonesia [Schepman, 1909:24]; Australia, and Torres Strait, Queensland, south to the Whitsunday Group. Tryon [1879:56] cited records from Lord Hood's Island and Kingsmill Islands -there is some uncertainty regarding the exact location, as a Lord Hood's Island exists both in the Galápagos and in French Polynesia. Dushane [1974:43] stated that Kingsmill Island belongs to the Mendaña group (the Gilbert Islands of Kiribati). Tomlin [1927:170] noted that Epitonium replicatum was a Polynesian species collected during the "St. George" Expedition, where a specimen was obtained at Gorgona Island, Colombia

Habitat:

Intertidal to 411 m [Schepman, 1909:24]. Rarely taken alive intertidally [DuShane, 1974:43] occurs on coarse sand [Schepman, 1909:224] and sandy mud [Brazier, 1875:249]

Etymology:

Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951 named for Dr. Anders Sando Oersted., Epitonium wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939 named for Captain D.H. Wurtsbaugh.

Type Material:

Lectotype: BMINH 1966409 (design. Dushane, 1974: 43) (fig. 9) for Epitonium replicatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844). [Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A, 2007]
Lectotype: Scalaria replicata & syntypes (2), BMNH: Lord Hood's Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Holotype: Epitonium bialatum USNM 180798: La Paz, Gulf of California, Mexico
Holotype: Epitonium (Nitidiscala) wurtsbaughi, CAS[GTC] 725: Panama
Holotype: Epitonium (Nitidiscala) oerstedianum, CAS[GTC] 9622: Santa Inez Bay, Gulf of California, Mexico for Epitonium replicatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844). [DuShane, H., 1974]
type lost: per DuShane (1990: 4) [as Epitonium arestrum Tinker, 1952:] - Type Locality: Hawaii. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: USNM 180798 [as Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917:] - Type Locality: near La Paz, Gulf of California, Mexico, 10 fms (= 18 m).. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: CAS[GTC] 9622 [as Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951:] - Type Locality: Station 145-D- 1-3, off San Domingo Point, Santa Inez Bay, Gulf of California, Mexico, 26° 52 N, 111° 53 W, dredged in 4-13 fms (7.5-24 m), sand.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Lectotype & paralectotypes: NHMUK 1966409/1-2 designated by DuShane (1974: 43). [as Scalaria replicata G.B. Sowerby II, 1844: ~ Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917; ~ Epitonium (Nitidiscala) wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939; ~ Epitonium (Nitidiscala) oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951; ~ Epitonium arestrum Tinker, 1952.] - Type Locality: Lord Hood's Island. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: CAS[GTC] 725 [as Epitonium wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939:] - Type Locality: Bahia Honda, Panama, dredged in 3 to 9 fms [= 5-16 m].. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype: Calif. Acad. Sci. Dept. Paleo. Type Coll. [as Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & A. M. Strong, 1951] - Type Locality: Station 145-D-1-3, Lat. 26° 52' 00 N., Long. 111° 53' 00 W., off San Domingo Point, Santa Inez Bay, Gulf of California. [Hertlein, L. G. & Strong, A. M., 1951]
Type not indicated in text for Epitonium replicatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844) - Type Locality: 'ins. Lord Hood's' (Lord Hood's island, probably Marutea: 21 3' S., 135 33' W., Pacific Ocean); 'Found on coral reefs'.. [Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y., 1999]
Holotype: No. 725 (Calif. Acad. Sci. Paleo. Type Coll.) for Epitonium replicatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844) - Type Locality: from Loc. 27,229 (C.A.S.), dredged in from 3 to 9 fms. in Bahia Honda, Panama. L. G. Hertlein collector.. [Strong, A. M. & Hertlein, L. G., 1939]

SpeciesImage

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Plate XXXII. Fig. 23-24.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).

Shown in text as Scalaria replicata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844

Species Image

Plate XXXII. Fig. 23-24.

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pp: 86.

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pp: 85.

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1873).

Species Image

Plate vi. Fig. 39.

Species Image

Species Image

Clessin, S. (1897).

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Plate 1. Fig. 9.

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pp: 4.

Dall, W. H. (1917).

Shown in text as Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917

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pp: 485.

Strong, A. M. & Hertlein, L. G. (1939).

Species Image

Plate 18. Fig. 14.

Epitonium (Nitidiscala) wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, new species.
Holotype No. 725 (Calif. Acad. Sci. Paleo. Type Coll.), from Loc. 27,229 (C.A.S.), dredged in from 3 to 9 fms. in Bahia Honda, Veragua,
Panama. Length, 7.2 mm; diameter, 4.4 mm.

Species Image

pp: 193.

Hertlein, L. G. & Strong, A. M. (1951).

Shown in text as Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & A. M. Strong, 1951

Species Image

Plate III. Fig. 10.

Epitonium ( Nitidiscala ) oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, sp. nov.
Holoype, from Station 145-D-1-3, Lat. 26° 52' 00" N., Long. 111° 53' 00" W., off San Domingo Point, Santa Inez Bay, Gulf of California
Dredged in 4-13 fathoms (7.5-24 meters). Length, 6.5mm.; diameter, 4.2 mm.

Species Image

pp: 89.

original description for Epitonium (Nitidiscalal oerstedianum
Hertlein & Strong, sp. nov

DuShane, H. (1974).

Species Image

pp: 50. Fig. 97.

Figure97j : Epitonium (Nitidiscala) oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951.
Holotype, CASfGTC] 9622; length 6£mm; width 4.2 mm X8

Species Image

pp: 50. Fig. 95.

Figure 95: Epitonium bialatum Dall, 191
7. Holotype, USNM 180 798; length 15mm; width 10 mm X 2.6

Species Image

pp: 50. Fig. 98.

Figure g8: Epitonium (Nitidiscala) wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939.Holotype,CASfGTC]725;L 7.2mm;W 4.4mm X9

Kaicher, S.D. (1980).

Species Image

Card #: EP1-2357.

Kaicher, S.D. (1983).

Shown in text as Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917

Species Image

Card #: EP3-3580.

Nakayama, T. (2003).

Species Image

pp: 125. Plate 11. Fig. 19-20.

figs 19-21: Epitonium (Lamelliscala) replicatum (Sowerby, 1844)
height 14.9 mm; breadth 10.0 mm (KC); fig. 21, base

Species Image

pp: 125. Plate 11. Fig. 21.

figs 19-21: Epitonium (Lamelliscala) replicatum (Sowerby, 1844)
height 14.9 mm; breadth 10.0 mm (KC); fig. 21, base

Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A (2007).

Species Image

pp: 39. Fig. 9-10.

9-10,E.replicatum(Sowerby[II],1844)
9 lectotype BMNH1966409
H=13.7 mm;
10 NW.side ofLumulumu island (RMNH88481),H=11.7mm.

Species Image

pp: 40.

Synonymy:

Epitonium arestrum Tinker, 1952: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917 [in Dall, W. H., 1917].
Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917 [in Kaicher, S.D., 1983].
Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & A. M. Strong, 1951 [in Hertlein, L. G. & Strong, A. M., 1951].
Epitonium oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Epitonium wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scalaria replicata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844 [in Clessin, S., 1897].
Scalaria replicata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844 [in Sowerby, G. B. II., 1844].
Scalaria replicata G.B. Sowerby II, 1844: ~ Epitonium bialatum Dall, 1917; ~ Epitonium (Nitidiscala) wurtsbaughi Strong & Hertlein, 1939; ~ Epitonium (Nitidiscala) oerstedianum Hertlein & Strong, 1951; ~ Epitonium arestrum Tinker, 1952. [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].

Source Literature:

Brazier, J. (1875). Shells collected during the Chevert Expedition, with Descriptions of the New Species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 1(3). Linnean Society of New South Wales.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22887 [Accessed 3 September 2025]
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]
Clessin, S. (1897). Die Familie der Scalariidae. In W. Kobelt (Ed.), Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Neu herausgegeben und vervollständigt. 2(13). Bauer & Raspe, NürnbergBauer & Raspe, Nürnberg. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34259905 [Accessed 21 June 2025]
Dall, W. H. (1917). Notes on the shells of the genus Epitonium and its allies of the Pacific coast of America.. Proceedings of the US National Museum. 53(2217). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7553869 [Accessed 18 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1974). The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae. The Veliger. 16 (Sup. 14). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42500298 [Accessed 25 September 2023]
Hertlein, L. G. & Strong, A. M. (1951). Eastern Pacific Expeditions of the New York Zoological Society. XLIII. Mollusks from the West Coast of Mexico and Central America. Part X.. Zoologica : Scientific Contributions of the New York Zoological Society. 36(5). https://doi.org/10.5962/p.184642 [Accessed 21 June 2025]
Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (1999). Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Japan.. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266375656_Catalogue_and_Bibliography_of_the_Marine_Shell-Bearing_Mollusca_of_Japan [Accessed 25 July 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]
Kaicher, S.D. (1983). Epitoniidae III [Pack 35]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Kokshoorn, B., Gittenberger, J. & Gittenberger, A (2007). Epitoniid parasites (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Epitoniidae) and their host sea anemones (Cnidaria,Actiniaria,Ceriantharia) in the Spermonde archipelago, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Basteria. 71(1-3)
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
Schepman, M.M. (1909). The Prosobranchia of the Siboga Expedition. Part 2. Taenioglossa and Ptenoglossa. E.J. Brill,Leyden. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34314807 [Accessed 27 July 2025]
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Monograph of the genus Scalaria.. Thesaurus conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells.. 1 (4). London, privately published.. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11076419 [Accessed 22 June 2023]
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1873). Monograph of the genus Scalaria. Conchologia iconica, or illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 19, pls 1-16 and unpaginated text.. 19. London. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8217819 [Accessed 24 August 2023]
Strong, A. M. & Hertlein, L. G. (1939). Marine mollusks from Panama collected by the Allan Hancock Expedition to the Galapagos Islands, 1931-1932. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions. 2(12). University of Southern California Press, Los Angeles.. https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1O37ST21 [Accessed 23 December 2025]
Tomlin, J.R. (1927). The Mollusca of the 'St. George' Expedition; (I.) The Pacific Coast of South America. Journal of Conchology. 18(6). https://doi.org/10.5962/p.406570 [Accessed 25 October 2025]
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