Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Cycloscala spinosa

T. Nakayama, 2000

Description:

Dimensions range from 5 mm - 7.3 mm high and 3 mm - 4 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.6:1 ~ 0.55:1

Shell: narrowly to widely scalariform; minute to small. Exterior colour dull white. About 7.5 whorls; protoconch with ~3 whorls polygyrate, conical with microscopic axial striae; teleoconch with ~4.5 whorls. Spire uncoiled from the first teleoconch. Approximately 18 - 20 costae on the body whorl. Costae are erect, strongly fluted, with nodules. Costae with a blunt coronation on shoulder; slightly recurved. Intercostal spaces without spiral sculpture. Aperture ovate; peristome complete; outer lip reflexed.

Nakayama [2003: 36] considered this species distinctive within Cycloscala because its axial costae are strongly fluted and bear nodules or spines, features absent from the costae of other species in the genus.

Distribution:

Off Minabe, Kii Peninsula,and off Amami-Oshima Island. Japan [Nakayama, 2000: 286].

Habitat:

30-100m [Nakayama, 2000: 286].

Etymology:

[latin] from spinosus = thorny, full of thorns, prickly, covered in spines, spiny.

SpeciesImage

Nakayama, T. (2003).

Cycloscala spinosa Nakayama, 2000
height 7.3 mm; breadth 4.0 m (holotype);

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.

Cycloscala spinosa T. Nakayama, 2000HolotypeNSMT Mo- 71425. off Minabe, Kii Peninsula, Japan. about 30m. (Nakayama 2003: 37). [Brown & Neville, 2015: 140].NSMT-Mo 71425. Off Minabe, Kii Peninsula, Wakayama, Japan. About 30m. [National Museum of Nature and Science, 2026: NSMT-Mo 71425].NSMT-Mo 71428. Off Minabe, Kii Peninsula, Japan. about 30m. [Nakayama, 2003: 36].Type designation not provided in text/ source documentOff Minabe, Kii Peninsula, and Sumiyo Bay, Amami- Oshima Island, Japan. about 30m. [Nakayama, 2000: 286].

Nakayama, T. (2003).

Species Image

Cycloscala spinosa Nakayama, 2000
height 7.3 mm; breadth 4.0 m (holotype);

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]
Nakayama, T. (2000). Descriptions of a New Subgenus,Fourteen New Species,and Thee Substituted Names of Epitoniids from Japan. VENUS. 59(4). Malacological Society of Japan. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/venusjjm/59/4/59_KJ00004345136/_pdf [Accessed 24 August 2023]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
National Museum of Nature and Science (2026). Collection database of specimens and materials: Mollusca. National Museum of Nature and Science Mollusca database. https://db.kahaku.go.jp/webmuseum_en/search?cls=col_a2_19 [Accessed 9 August 2026]
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