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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium rissoinaeforme

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 3.5 mm - 4.2 mm high and 2 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.57:1 ~ 0.48:1

Shell: ovate-fusiform, slightly perforate, compact; minute. Exterior colour white. Approximately 28 costae on the body whorl. Costae continuous. Intercostal spaces interspaces finely and closely spirally ridged under magnification. Aperture round, white inside.


Distribution:

Gulf of Oman [Melvill & Standen, 1903a: 346].


Habitat:

285 m [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133].


Etymology:

[neo-latin] from Rissoina= belonging to the family Rissoinidae, and forma = shape, form. In reference to the shell having a similar appearance to a Rissoid.


SpeciesImage

Natural History Museum (2014). Fig. NHM 1903.12.15.7.

Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Syntype: NHM 1903.12.15.7
Gulf of Oman
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
CC0

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.
Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903SyntypeNHM 1981209. Gulf of Oman, Oman. 285m. [7 specimens]. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1981209].NHM 1903.12.15.7. Gulf of Oman, Oman. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.7].NHMUK 1903.12.15.7. Gulf of Oman, Oman. Lat: 24° 58'N, Lon: 56° 54'E. 285m [156 fthms]. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133].NHMUK 1981209. Gulf of Oman, Oman. Lat: 24° 58'N, Lon: 56° 54'E. 285m [156 fthms]. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133].


Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a).
Shown in text as Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Species Image
Plate VII. Fig. 10.
Scala rissoinæformis sp.n.
Species Image
pp: 346.
Original descriiption
Natural History Museum (2014).
Shown in text as Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Species Image
Fig. NHM 1981209.
Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Syntype: NHM 1981209
Gulf of Oman. 285m
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
CC0
Species Image
Fig. NHM 1981209.
Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Syntype: NHM 1981209
Gulf of Oman. 285m
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
CC0
Natural History Museum (2014).
Shown in text as Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Species Image
Fig. NHM 1903.12.15.7.
Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903
Syntype: NHM 1903.12.15.7
Gulf of Oman
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
CC0

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Labeoscala) rissoinaeforme Melvill & Standen, 1903 [Bonfitto, 2018: 125; Weil et al., 1999: 72]
Scala rissoinaeformis Melvill & Standen, 1903 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133; Melvill & Standen, 1903a: 346; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.7; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1981209]


Source Literature:

Bonfitto, A. (2018). New species of Epitoniidae (Gastropoda: Epitonioidea) from the Red Sea. Molluscan Research. 38:2. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2017.1385168 [Accessed 26 August 2023]
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]
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). The genus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as represented in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new species.. Journal of Conchology. 10. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31650162 [Accessed 26 February 2025]
Natural History Museum (2014). NHM Collection specimens [Data set]. Natural History Museum. https://doi.org/10.5519/0002965 [Accessed 6 April 2026]
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