Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Plastiscala invalida

(Verco, 1906)

Description:

Dimensions range from 10.4 mm - 11 mm high and 3 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.29:1 ~ 0.27:1

Shell: elongate; rather thin; small. About 11 whorls, round with slight peripheral angulation, connected; protoconch with ~2 whorls nearly smooth; teleoconch with 8-9 whorls regularly convex. Suture deep, simple, containing tubercles on the upper border of each whorl. Imperforate. Approximately 24 costae on the body whorl. Costae are very crowded, fine, varying in thickness. There are 3 varices on each whorl. The varices are at irregular intervals, curving towards the suture. Intercostal spaces fine, crowded spiral lirae. Aperture ovate, flattened at the base, lip thickened externally.

Distribution:

Gulf St. Vincent, Sth Australia [Verco, 1906:148]; Western Port, Victoria [Macpherson & Gabriel, 1962:115]; Tasmania [Weil et al., 1999:140]

Habitat:

Deep water

Type Material:

Holotype: SM D.13458 for Plastiscala invalida (Verco, 1906) - Locality: St. Vincent Gulf, deep water.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

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Verco, J.C. (1906). Fig. 9 & 10.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Verco, J.C. (1906).

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Fig. 9 & 10.

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pp: 148.

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pp: 149.

Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931).

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pp: 7.

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Plate I. Fig. 7.

Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. (1962).

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pp: 115.

Kaicher, S.D. (1980).

Species Image

Holotype: South Australian Mus. D13458

Source Literature:

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]
Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931). South Australian Shells Part II. The South Australian Naturalist. 13(1). Field Naturalists Society of South Australia. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42129287 [Accessed 8 June 2025]
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]
Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. (1962). Marine Molluscs of Victoria. Melbourne University Press and National Museum of Victoria: Melbourne.. https://archive.org/details/marinemolluscsof0000jhop/page/118/mode/2up [Accessed 13 June 2025]
Verco, J.C. (1906). Notes on South Australian marine Mollusca, with descriptions of new species. Part IV.. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 30 Pt 4. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16124267 [Accessed 19 June 2023]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record