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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Opalia australis

(Lamarck, 1822)

Description:

Dimensions range from 43.1 mm high and 15.02 mm wide.


Shell: tall, variable in height to width ratio, slender, elongate, moderately elevated, somewhat blunt, and variable in height to width ratio; thick; medium. Exterior colour uniformly white internally and externally, white to greyish, white, white, or dark purple between varices., greyish. About 9 whorls, rounded, whorls increasing slowly, contiguous, somewhat compressed, rounded below the shoulder, , connected, contiguous. Suture impressed, suture barely excavated. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 8 - 11 costae on the body whorl. Costae are sculptured with strong axial ribs,, ribs which join to form a spiral band at the base of th ebody whorl, varices, which are also thick, prominent, and smooth, arices thick, somewhat spaced, slightly raised, continuous. Costae aligned from whorl to whorl; not separated, continuous. Intritacalx present, thick and relatively hard in shells of this species. Intercostal spaces Interspaces smooth or with faint spiral threads, extremely fine spiral striae. Base Axial ribs end at strong spiral rib on base, ribs end in thick basal spiral rib, encircled by a strong keel at the front;. Aperture ovate; peristome incomplete. Operculum corneous.

This species is relatively large, solid and heavy, and is the one most commonly found in beach washup. See also O. ballinensis.


Distribution:



Habitat:

Under rocks on rocky shores in association with anemones, low intertidal and shall subtidal. Moderately common.


Type Material:

Mermod and Binder (1963: 164) report that there are five specimens in the Lamarckian collection bearing the label


SpeciesImage

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Plate xxxv. Fig. 135.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Lamarck, [J.-B. M.] de. (1822).
Species Image
pp: 228.
translation of original description:
Shell turreted, slender, with a blunt apex, white; with smooth, perfectly straight ribs placed below the last whorl above the keel; sutures somewhat excavated.
Inhabits the seas of New Holland (Australia). Mr. Macleay. My collection.
It is imperforate, smooth, without spots, and only one inch in length.
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).
Shown in text as Scalaria australis Lamarck, 1822
Species Image
Plate xxxv. Fig. 135.
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pp: 103-104.
"T. elongated, thick, smooth, imperforate; with 9 contiguous whorls, barely prominent; the last whorl encircled by a strong keel at the front; suture barely excavated; with 10 simple, somewhat straight, thick, smooth, prominent varices terminating at the keel; white in color, or faintly purplish in the spaces between varices."
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1873-1874).
Shown in text as Scalaria australis.
Species Image
Plate i. Fig. 3.
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Scalaria australis. The shell is somewhat small, thick, moderately elevated, greyish between the varices; whorls increasing slowly, contiguous, somewhat compressed, rounded below the shoulder, thickly encircled; varices thick, somewhat spaced, slightly raised, continuous.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Species Image
Plate 2. Fig. 5.
Species Image
pp: 5.
Verco, J.C. (1906).
Shown in text as Scalaria australis Lamarck, 1822
Species Image
pp: 146.
Iredale, T. (1936).
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Fig. 26.
Kaicher, S. (1972).
Species Image
Card #: EP1-2370.
Beechey, D. (2008).
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pp: Opalia australis. Fig. 1.
Boat Harbour, Cronulla, NSW (C.339778)

Synonymy:

Scalaria australis Lamarck, 1822 [from Sowerby, G. B. II., 1844].
Scalaria australis Lamarck, 1822 [from Verco, J.C., 1906].
Scalaria australis Lamarck, 1822: [from Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scalaria australis. [from Reeve, L., 1873].


Source Literature:

Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Opalia_australis. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Opalia_australis.htm. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Opalia_australis.htm
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
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
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
Iredale, T. (1936). Australian molluscan notes. No. 2.. Records of the Australian Museum. 19(5). Australian Museum, Sydney. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.19.1936.704
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
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
Reeve, L. (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
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
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
Wilson, B.R. (1993). Australian Marine Shells. Australian Marine Shells. 1. Odessey Publications

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record