Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium obesum

(G. B. Sowerby II, 1847)

Description:

Dimensions range from 16 mm - 16 mm high.
Width to height ratio: 00:1 ~ 00:1

Shell: broad, stout, short, ventricose; sturdy; small. Exterior colour yellowish aperture, costae pale grey. About 6 whorls, rounded, barely separated, contiguous. Umbilicate: small. Approximately 14 costae on the body whorl. Costae are numerous, thick, rounded, may thicken to form a varix. Costae elevated near the suture; strongly recurved. Aperture obliquely oval.

Distribution:

Australia; exact distribution unknown

Habitat:

not reported

Etymology:

[latin] from obesus = fat or stout

Type Material:

NHMUK 1981232 (syntype). [as Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844:] - Locality: Australia.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

SpeciesImage

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Plate xxxiii. Fig. 70.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).

Shown in text as Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844:

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Plate xxxiii. Fig. 70.

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Plate xxxiii. Fig. 71.

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pp: 89.

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1873-1874).

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Plate iv. Fig. 22a.

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Plate iv. Fig. 22b.

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Species 22. (Fig. a, 6, Mus. Brit.)

Clessin, S. (1897).

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Plate 6. Fig. 8-9.

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pp: 24.

Shell short, broad, swollen, whitish; with few, rounded, contiguous whorls; the last whorl swollen, with numerous thick, rounded varices; aperture somewhat ovate, with a yellowish margin.

Kaicher, S. (1972).

Species Image

Card #: EP2-3098.

Syntype: BMNH type collection: 1981232

Synonymy:

Scalaria obesa G. B. Sowerby II, 1844 [in Tryon, G.W., 1887].
Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844: [in Clessin, S., 1897].
Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844: [in Sowerby, G. B. II., 1844].
Scalaria obesa G.B. Sowerby, II, 1844: [in Sowerby, G. B. II., 1873-1874].

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]
Clessin, S. (1897). Die Familie der Scalariidae. In W. Kobelt (Ed.), Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Neu herausgegeben und vervollständigt. 2(13). Bauer & Raspe, NürnbergBauer & Raspe, Nürnberg. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34259905 [Accessed 21 June 2025]
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]
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Monograph of the genus Scalaria.. Thesaurus conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells.. 1 (4). London, privately published.. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11076419 [Accessed 22 June 2023]
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1873-1874). Monograph of the genus Scalaria. Conchologia iconica, or illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 19, pls 1-16 and unpaginated text.. 19. London. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8217819 [Accessed 24 August 2023]
Tryon, G.W. (1887). Manual of conchology, structural and systematic with illustrations of the species. IX. Academy of Natural Sciences. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11026889 [Accessed 20 September 2025]
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