Murdochella macrina

Iredale, 1936

Description:

Dimensions range from 5 mm - 28 mm high and 1.25 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.25:1 ~ 0.04:1

Shell: tall, slender, elongate; minute to moderately small. Exterior colour white, dirty white. About 17 whorls, rounded; protoconch with ~2 whorls initially spirally corded, then axially ribbed, terminating with elevated varix; teleoconch with 7-15 whorls with varices irregularly spaced every 1-1½ whorl. Suture fairly deep. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 17 - 50 costae on the body whorl. Costae are fine, lamellose. Intercostal spaces strong spiral cords creating cancellate appearance where they intersect the costae. Interstices with approximately 5 spiral striae per whorl. Base base flat and a little excavated, with numerous spiral threads of variable strength and strong spiral cord. Columella basically straight and almost forming a canal-like projection with the basal cord. Aperture ovate, almost circular, lip thickened by varix externally; peristome incomplete; outer lip thin and sharp, flattened by the basal cord.

Distribution:

Kii Peninsula, Japan; Moreton Bay Queensland southwards to eastern Bass Straight and to Bunbury, south-western WA, Australia [Beechey, 2008]

Habitat:

Off shore in deep water, from 75 to 574m

Type Material:

Type from 80 fathoms, 22 miles east of Narrabeen [as Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo]. [Iredale, T., 1936]
Holotype is presumably at the AMS. [as Murdochella macrina Iredale, 1936:] - Type Locality: 22 miles off Narrabeen, New South Wales, Australia, 80 fms [= 147 m].. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 19.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).

Shown in text as Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo

Plate xxii. Fig. 19.

pp: 302. Plate xxii.

original description

Kaicher, S.D. (1981).

Card #: EP2-3028.

Shell white; with thin, erect costae and raised spirals which give a crisp, delicate, lattice- like appearance; to approx. 5 mm.
Offshore in fairly deep water.
(Australian Museum)
Card #: EP2-3028

Beechey, D. (2008).

Shown in text as Glyptozaria westralis Garrard, 1982

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 1.

Great Australian Bight, South Australia, in 75 m (C.unreg)

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 2.

Holotype: of Glyptozaria westralia. East of Hood Point, Great Australian Bight, WA (C.123852)

Beechey, D. (2008).

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 1.

Off Greenwell Point, Nowra, NSW, in 360 m (C.147342)

Synonymy:

Glyptozaria westralis Garrard, 1982 [in Beechey, D., 2008].
Murdochella macrina Iredale, 1936: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].

Source Literature:

Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Murdochella_macrina. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Murdochella_macrina.htm [Accessed 10 May 2023]
Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Narvaliscala_dorysa. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Narvaliscala_dorysa.htm [Accessed 10 May 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]
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 [Accessed 14 September 2023]
Kaicher, S.D. (1981). Epitoniidae II [Pack 30]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
Wilson, B.R. (1993). Australian Marine Shells. Australian Marine Shells. 1. Odessey Publications
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record

Murdochella macrina

Iredale, 1936

Description:

Distribution:

Kii Peninsula, Japan; Moreton Bay Queensland southwards to eastern Bass Straight and to Bunbury, south-western WA, Australia [Beechey, 2008]

Habitat:

Off shore in deep water, from 75 to 574m

Type Material:

Distribution

Iredale, T. (1936).

Shown in text as Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo

Plate xxii. Fig. 19.

pp: 302. Plate xxii.

original description

Kaicher, S.D. (1981).

Card #: EP2-3028.

Shell white; with thin, erect costae and raised spirals which give a crisp, delicate, lattice- like appearance; to approx. 5 mm. Offshore in fairly deep water. (Australian Museum) Card #: EP2-3028

Beechey, D. (2008).

Shown in text as Glyptozaria westralis Garrard, 1982

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 1.

Great Australian Bight, South Australia, in 75 m (C.unreg)

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 2.

Holotype: of Glyptozaria westralia. East of Hood Point, Great Australian Bight, WA (C.123852)

Beechey, D. (2008).

pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 1.

Off Greenwell Point, Nowra, NSW, in 360 m (C.147342)

Synonymy:

Glyptozaria westralis Garrard, 1982 [in Beechey, D., 2008].Murdochella macrina Iredale, 1936: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].

Source Literature:

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record

Shell white; with thin, erect costae and raised spirals which give a crisp, delicate, lattice- like appearance; to approx. 5 mm.
Offshore in fairly deep water.
(Australian Museum)
Card #: EP2-3028

Glyptozaria westralis Garrard, 1982 [in Beechey, D., 2008].
Murdochella macrina Iredale, 1936: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Murdochella macrina, Sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].