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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epifungium lochi

(A. Gittenberger & Goud, 2000)

Description:

Dimensions range from .85 mm - 13.5 mm high.
Width to height ratio: 00:1 ~ 00:1

Shell: elongate-, conical; Very fragile; microscopic to small. Exterior colour creamy white. About 11.25 whorls; protoconch with ~3.25 whorls ; teleoconch with ~8 whorls separated by a very deep suture. Suture very deep. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 24 - 26 costae on the body whorl. Costae are evenly spaced, low, orthocline. Costae usually not continuous, barely touching previous whorl. Intercostal spaces low spiral threads which cross the costae creating reticulate pattern. Interstices with approximately 12 - 15 spiral striae per whorl. Aperture subcircular. Operculum paucispiral.


Distribution:

Maldives, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia to Australia (A. & E. Gittenberger 2005: 175).


Habitat:

in shallow water 3-24m. Hosted on Fungia costulata Ortmann, 1889, and F. tenuis Dana, 1846


Etymology:

Named after Mr. Ian Loch, who described this species from Australia, without naming it.


Type Material:

Holotype NNM 59094, Indonesia, Sulawesi, off Ujung Pandang, W. Kudingareng Keke, 12 m.
Paratypes: NNM 59095/2, NNM 59096/1, Indonesia, Sulawesi, off Ujung Pandang, MZB/16/1, Indonesia, Sulawesi, off Ujung Pandang; 16 m;
NNM 9098/1, 18 m;
NNM 59099/1, E. Kudingareng Keke, 3 m;
NNM 59100/1, 12 m; NNM 59102/1, 18 m;
NNM 59101/2, ESE Kudingareng Keke, 15 m;
NNM 59103/1, Pulau Badi, 24 m for Epifungium lochi (A. Gittenberger & Goud, 2000). [Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E., 2000]


SpeciesImage

Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005). pp: 158. Fig. 67.

Holotype: Sulawesi, Indonesia

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E. (2000).
Species Image
pp: 96. Fig. 12-14.
Holotype: NNM 59094
length 0.9 cm.
Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005).
Species Image
pp: 158. Fig. 66-67.
Paratype: Sulawesi, Indonesia
Species Image
pp: 176. Fig. 125.
T5 teleoconch whorls
Species Image
pp: 158. Fig. 67.
Holotype: Sulawesi, Indonesia

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]
Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005). A hitherto unnoticed adaptive radiation: epitoniid species (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with corals (Scleractinia).. Contributions to Zoology. 74(1-2). Contributions to Zoology. http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/43091 [Accessed 16 July 2023]
Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E. (2000). Epitonium (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, with the description of four new species.. The Nautilus. 114(1). The Nautilus. http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/128726.pdf [Accessed 8 March 2025]
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record