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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium stigmaticum

(Pilsbry, 1911)

Description:

Dimensions range from 9.69 mm - 30 mm high and 3.67 mm - 11.2 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.38:1 ~ 0.37:1

Shell: tall, slender, conic; small to moderately small. Exterior colour glossy, fawn with diffuse purple to brown spots at the periphery of each whorl, costae white. About 10 whorls, well rounded, barely disconnected, joined only by costae. Suture fenestrate. Imperforate: umbilicus closed, or barely rimate. Approximately 8 - 10 costae on the body whorl. Costae are vary from narrow and low to moderately broad and high, at irregular intervals there are larger, heavier ribs. Costae aligned from whorl to whorl; slightly hooked at the suture; rolled back; cross the suture. Intercostal spaces smooth. Base not clearly separated from the apertural varix. Aperture ovate, round; peristome complete, continuous, with a strong lip-varix.; outer lip expanded anteriorly. Operculum corneous, black, paucispiral..


Distribution:

South Korea, Central Japan to northern Queensland down to Sydney, NSW. Marquesas


Habitat:

offshore 30-200m, sand. Can be found in beach wash up


Etymology:

[latin] from stigmaticus = branded, marked, in reference to the diffuse colouration on the shell


Type Material:

Type not located. [as Scalaria maculosa A. Adams & Reeve] - Locality: Otake, Japan.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Cotypes: ANSP 88318, Hirase coll. 1571 (cotypes). [as Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911: ~ Scalaria maculosa A. Adams & Reeve Yokoyama, 1922; ~ Glabriscala hayashii Habe, 1961b.] - Locality: Fukura, Awaji, Japan.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Cotypes no. 88318 coll. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., from no. 1571 of Mr. Hirase's collection. for Epitonium stigmaticum (Pilsbry, 1911) - Locality: Fukura, Awaji, Japan. [Pilsbry, H. A., 1911]
Syntype: ANSP 88318, measured in the original description for Epitonium stigmaticum (Pilsbry, 1911) - Locality: Fukura, Awaji island, eastern Seto inland sea.. [Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y., 1999]


SpeciesImage

ANSP Academy of Natural Sciences (2025).

Syntype Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Pilsbry, H. A. (1911).
Species Image
pp: 34.
Yokoyama, M (1922).
Shown in text as Epitonium maculosum (Yokoyama, 1922)
Species Image
Plate IV. Fig. 14.
Species Image
pp: 88.
Kaicher, S. (1972).
Species Image
Card #: EP1-2360.
Nakayama, T. (2003).
Species Image
pp: 127. Plate 12. Fig. 18-19.
figs 18-20, 32-34: Epitonium (Hyaloscala) stigmaticum (Pilsbry, 1911)
height 26.5 mm; breadth 10.7 m (KC: figs 18-20); fig. 20, base
height 14.2 mm;breadth 9.5 m (holotype of hayashi: figs 32-34); fig. 34, base
Species Image
pp: 127. Plate 12. Fig. 32-34.
figs 18-20, 32-34: Epitonium (Hyaloscala) stigmaticum (Pilsbry, 1911)
height 26.5 mm; breadth 10.7 m (KC: figs 18-20); fig. 20, base
height 14.2 mm;breadth 9.5 m (holotype of hayashi: figs 32-34); fig. 34, base
Garcia, E.F. (2003).
Species Image
pp: 19. Fig. 62.
: Epitonium (Hyaloscala) stigmaticum (Pilsbry, 1911). Marquesas
Archipelago, 9M4.6'S, 138°51.rW, 151-120 m, [MUSORSTOM 9 sta. DW1224], length 25.6 mm.
Beechey, D. (2008).
Species Image
pp: Epitonium stigmaticum. Fig. 1.
Port Jackson, NSW (C.361514)
ANSP Academy of Natural Sciences (2025).
Species Image
Syntype Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911
Species Image
Syntype Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911

Synonymy:

Epitonium maculosum (Yokoyama, 1922) [in Yokoyama, M, 1922].
Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911: ~ Scalaria maculosa A. Adams & Reeve Yokoyama, 1922; ~ Glabriscala hayashii Habe, 1961b. [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scalaria maculosa A. Adams & Reeve [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


Source Literature:

ANSP Academy of Natural Sciences (2025). Syntype Scala stigmatica Pilsbry, 1911. Academy of Natural Sciences. http://clade.ansp.org/malacology/collections/details.php?mode=details&catalognumber=88318#detail [Accessed 29 March 2025]
Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Epitonium_stigmaticum. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Epitonium_stigmaticum.htm [Accessed 9 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]
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]
Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (1999). Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Japan.. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266375656_Catalogue_and_Bibliography_of_the_Marine_Shell-Bearing_Mollusca_of_Japan [Accessed 25 July 2025]
Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (2001). Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Molluscs of Japan. Type Figures. Elle Scientific Publications
Kaicher, S.D. (1980). Epitoniidae I [Pack 23]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
Pilsbry, H. A. (1911). New Japanese Naticidae and Scalariidae. The Nautilus. 25(3). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1818211 [Accessed 11 March 2025]
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]
Yokoyama, M (1922). Fossils from the Upper Musashino of Kazusa and Shimosa.. Journal of the College of Science, Imperial University of Tokyo. 44(1). http://umdb.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/DKoseibu/pdf/Ref_0465_.pdf [Accessed 21 June 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record