Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium bucknilli

A. W. B. Powell, 1924

Description:

Dimensions range from 16 mm - 16.5 mm high and 7 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.44:1 ~ 0.42:1

Shell: conic; thin and fragile; small. Exterior colour pure white, semitransparent. About 8 whorls, convex, a little separated; protoconch with ~2 whorls smooth convex; teleoconch with 7-6 whorls. Spire elevated, conic with angle of 30 degrees. Suture extremely deep. Imperforate: closed. Approximately 16 - 20 costae on the body whorl. Costae are arcuate, thin. Costae discontinuous over the whorls; not shouldered, tops flattened with low peaks creating a stepped appearance; not reflected. Intercostal spaces with microscopic spiral striations. Base convex. Columella short, oblique, slightly arcuate. Aperture oblique oval; peristome continuous, thickened by an axial rib; inner lip slightly rounded, margin free and sharp. Operculum unknown.

Weil et al. [1999:130] comment that this species is similar to E jukesianum (Forbes, 1852), but is larger and relatively broader

Distribution:

Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty:; Taupo Bay, Whangaroa; Kaitoke, Great Barrier Island [Powell, 1924:138].

Habitat:

intertidal to 42 m [Brown & Neville, 2015:48].

Etymology:

Named for a Dr. Bucknill [Brown & Neville, 2015: 48].

SpeciesImage

Powell, A. W. B. (1924). Plate 5.

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.

Epitonium bucknilli A. W. B. Powell, 1924HolotypeMA72057. Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. 16mm. [Spurgeon, A, 2021: MA72057].Powell collection, Auckland. [Powell, 1924: 138].ParatypeGreat Barrier Island, [Powell, 1924: 138].Mount Maunganui, 6mm. [Powell, 1924: 138].Whangaroa, New Zealand. [Powell, 1924: 138].
Epitonium (Hyaloscala) bucknilli Powell, 1924HolotypePowell collection, Auckland. Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 48].

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Species Image

Plate 5.

Species Image

pp: 138.

Spurgeon, A (2021).

Species Image

Fig. MA72057.

Epitonium bucknilli Powell, 1924
Holotype: MA72057
Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, NZ
© Auckland Museum
(CC-BY)

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Hyaloscala) bucknilli Powell, 1924 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 48; Weil et al., 1999: 130; Blom, 2020: 146]

Source Literature:

Blom, W.M. (2020). Fossil and Recent molluscan types in the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Part 4. Records of the Auckland Museum. 55. Auckland War Memorial Museum. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27008995 [Accessed 12 September 2026]
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]
Powell, A. W. B. (1924). On a New Species of Epitonium.. TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND,. 55. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TPRSNZ1924-55.2.10.1.6#save_as [Accessed 28 August 2023]
Spurgeon, A (2021). New Zealand Mollusca. https://mollusca.co.nz/speciesdetail.php?taxa=3201 [Accessed 26 March 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