Header Image
Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Gyroscala mikeleei

E. F. García, 2003

Description:

Dimensions range from 37 mm - 47.5 mm high and 15.4 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.42:1 ~ 0.32:1

Shell: Pyramidal, acute; moderately small to medium. Exterior colour chalky-white.. About 12.5 whorls; protoconch missing in holotype. Suture deep. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 30 costae on the body whorl. Costae are thin, low, narrower than interspaces. Costae slightly peaked, higher adapically, creating a narrow shoulder. Intercostal spaces Spiral sculpture of uneven, crowded, low threads. Base weak basal ridge; sculpture decreases below the ridge. Aperture ovate, lip simple. Operculum unknown.


Distribution:

Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia, and east New Caledonia [Garcia, 2003: 18].


Habitat:

450-699 m [Garcia, 2003: 18].


Etymology:

Named for Michael D. Lee, of Lafayette, Louisiana, who has been my companion on collecting trips for more than a quarter of a century [Garcia, 2003].


SpeciesImage

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (2026). Fig. MNHN-IM-2000-4320.

Gyroscala mikeleei García, 2003
Holotype: MNHN-IM-2000-4320 47.3mm
Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. 676-699 m
Credit:MNHN - Brabant D. - 2005
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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.
Gyroscala mikeleei E. F. García, 2003HolotypeMNHN 4320. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR station CP72] Lat: 08° 36'S, Lon: 131° 33'E. 676-699m. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 104].MNHN-IM-2000-4320. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR sta. CP72] Lat: 08°36'S, Lon: 131°33°E. 676-699m. Collected by: Bouchet, Kastoro & Métivier. . 3/11/2003. 47.3mm. [Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 2026: MNHN-IM-2000-4320].MNHN. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR sta. CP72] Lat: 08°36'S, Lon: 131°33°E. 676-699m. 47.3mm. [Garcia, 2003: 18].ParatypeMNHN-IM-2000-4322. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR sta. CP72] Lat: 08°36'S, Lon: 131°33°E. 676-699m. Collected by: Bouchet, Kastoro & Métivier. . 3/11/2003. [Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 2026: MNHN-IM-2000-4322].MNHN. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR sta. CP72] Lat: 08°36'S, Lon: 131°33°E. 676-699m. [Garcia, 2003: 18].PPPO_LIPI. Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. [KARUBAR sta. CP72] Lat: 08°36'S, Lon: 131°33°E. 676-699m. [Garcia, 2003: 18].


Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (2026).
Species Image
Fig. MNHN-IM-2000-4320.
Gyroscala mikeleei García, 2003
Holotype: MNHN-IM-2000-4320 47.3mm
Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. 676-699 m
Credit:MNHN - Brabant D. - 2005
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Source Literature:

arsint.com (2023). Shells for Sale:Epitonidae. arsint.com. http://www.arsint.com/seashells_epitoniidae_opalia.html [Accessed 21 October 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]
Garcia, E. F. (2003). New records of Indo-Pacific Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) with the description of nineteen new specie. Novapex. 4 (Hors-série 1). http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42322472 [Accessed 26 August 2023]
Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (2026). Mollusca (IM) collection. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/im/item/search [Accessed 18 July 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