Header Image
Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Acirsa murrha

(DuShane, 1970)

Description:

Dimensions range from 19.1 mm - 19.5 mm high and 6.9 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.36:1 ~ 0.35:1

Shell: pyramidal, acuminate; small. About 12 whorls; protoconch with ~2 whorls opaque, with incised spiral lines; teleoconch with 10 whorls convex, gradually enlarging. Suture moderately impressed. Imperforate: lacking. Approximately 19 costae on the body whorl. Costae are low, sinuous. Intercostal spaces with uneven spiral cord separated by narrow, incised lines which cross the costae. Interstices with approximately 15 spiral striae per whorl. Base flat cords separated by incised lines. Base with 10 - 11 spiral striae, Aperture oval; peritreme incomplete. Operculum unknown.


Distribution:

Pacific coast, Panama [DuShane, 1974:51].


Habitat:

54m, sand [DuShane, 1974:51].


Etymology:

[latin] from murrha = porcelain clay, a reference to the china like surface of the shell, a noun in apposition.


SpeciesImage

DuShane, H. (1970a). pp: 4. Fig. 4.

Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha sp. nov.
holotype, LACM 1232. X 3;

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Type Material:

The following list brings together type material and other cited specimens as reported in the sources examined, grouped under the names and designations used in each source. The same specimen may appear in multiple entries drawn from different sources. Some entries concern other species included by authors for comparison; inclusion in this list does not imply synonymy.
Acirsa murrha (DuShane, 1970)HolotypeLACM 1232. [DuShane, 1974: 51].
Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha DuShane, 1970HolotypeLACM-AHF 1232. Ten miles southwest of Secas Islands, Panama. [Velero III station 944-39] Lat: 7° 51' 10°N, Lon: 82° 12' 05'W. [30 fthms]. gray sand. . 27/03/1939. one specimen. [DuShane, 1970a: 4].LACM- AHF 1232. ten miles [= 16 km] southwest of Secas Islands, Panama. [Velero III station 944-39] Lat: 07° 51' 10''N, Lon: 82° 12' 05''W. 55m [30 fthms]. gray sand. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 110].
Epitonium murrha DuShane, 1970HolotypeLACM 1232. 10 mi, SW of Isla Secas, Chiriqui Prov, Panama. 55m. Collected by: R/V Velero III. . 27/03/1939. [Groves, 2012: 71].


DuShane, H. (1970a).
Shown in text as Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha DuShane, 1970
Species Image
pp: 4. Fig. 4.
Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha sp. nov.
holotype, LACM 1232. X 3;
Species Image
pp: 4-5.
DuShane, H. (1974).
Species Image
pp: 34. Fig. 62.
Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha DuShane, 1970. Holotype, LACM-AHF 1232; length 19.1 mm; width 6.9mm X 3
Species Image
pp: 51.

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Acirsa) murrha DuShane, 1970 [DuShane, 1970a: 4; Brown & Neville, 2015: 110]
Epitonium murrha DuShane, 1970 [Groves, 2012: 71]


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]
DuShane, H. (1970a). Five New Epitoniid Gastropods from the West Coast of the Americas. Los Angeles County Museum Contributions in Science. 185. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/52108947#page/221/mode/1up [Accessed 25 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1974). The Panamic-Galapagan Epitoniidae. The Veliger. 16 (Sup. 14). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42500298 [Accessed 25 September 2023]
Groves, L.T. (2012). Catalog of Recent Molluscan Types in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Natural History Museum of Los Angels County, Malacology Section. https://www.academia.edu/77579686/Catalog_of_Recent_Molluscan_Types_in_the_Natural_History_Museum_of_Los_Angeles_County [Accessed 8 August 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 at VLIZ. [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record