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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium emiliae

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 5 mm - 12 mm high and 2.3 mm - 5.5 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.46:1 ~ 0.46:1

Shell: pyramidal; thin and fragile, delicate; minute to small. Exterior colour uniform light greyish-reddish-brown to light brown (fading to light yellowish-brown) with white ribs and base of body whorl pale, rarely uniform yellowish-white. About 10 whorls; protoconch with ~3 whorls very smooth, highly shiny, and glassy; teleoconch with 5-7 whorls convex, ventricose, closely laminate. Suture deep, impressed. Umbilicate: narrow. Approximately 20 - 36 costae on the body whorl. Costae are sometimes with an occasional thicker rib. Intercostal spaces intervals almost smooth, with traces of a few spiral scratch-like striae when fresh.. Aperture roundly ovate; peristome peristome thin complete.


Distribution:

Off Kii Peninsula, Japan [Nakayama, 2003:71]; Gulf of Arabia to Algoa Bay [Kilburn, 1985:307].


Habitat:

12 m [Kilburn, 1985:307] to 50 m [Nakayama, 2003:71].


Etymology:

named for Emily, the wife of F.W. Townsend, the discoverer of the shell.


SpeciesImage

Nakayama, T. (2003). pp: 139. Plate 18. Fig. 17-18.

figs 17-18:
Epitonium (Papyriscala) emiliae (Melvill & Standen, 1903)
height 6.0 mm; breadth 3.0 mm (NA)

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.
Epitonium (Papyriscala) emiliae (Melvill & Standen, 1903)TypeKarachi, Pakistan. [Nakayama, 2003: 71].
Scala algoensis Thiele, 1925HolotypeZMB 109283. Algoa Bay, South Africa. [Station 101] [Brown & Neville, 2015: 35].
Scala emiliae Melvill & Standen, 1903HolotypeNHM 1903.12.15.24. Karachi, Pakistan. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.24].NHMUK 1903.12.15.24. Karachi, Pakistan. 5m [3 fthms]. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 68].


Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a).
Species Image
Plate VII. Fig. 6.
Scala emilia sp.n. (PI. VII., fig.
Species Image
pp: 343-344.
Thiele, J. (1925).
Shown in text as Scala algoensis Thiele, 1925
Species Image
Plate 11. Fig. 14.
Species Image
pp: 139.
Kilburn, R.N. (1985).
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120-NM 7085,
Durban Bay, 6,6 x 3,6 mm
Nakayama, T. (2003).
Species Image
pp: 139. Plate 18. Fig. 17-18.
figs 17-18:
Epitonium (Papyriscala) emiliae (Melvill & Standen, 1903)
height 6.0 mm; breadth 3.0 mm (NA)

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Papyriscala) emiliae (Melvill & Standen, 1903) [Kilburn, 1985: 307; Nakayama, 2003: 71; Weil et al., 1999: 58]
Scala algoensis Thiele, 1925 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 35; Thiele, 1925: 139]
Scala emiliae Melvill & Standen, 1903 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 68; Melvill & Standen, 1903a: 343; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.24]


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]
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]
Kilburn, R.N. (1985). The family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in southern Africa and Mozambique. Annals of the Natal Museum. 27(1). Natal Museum
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). The genus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as represented in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new species.. Journal of Conchology. 10. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31650162 [Accessed 26 February 2025]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
Natural History Museum (2014). NHM Collection specimens [Data set]. Natural History Museum. https://doi.org/10.5519/0002965 [Accessed 6 April 2026]
Thiele, J. (1925). Gastropoden der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition. II Teil. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899.. 17(2). https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/3NJJP6TFO3ZWXZDRTI2CZV66VP76UDWR [Accessed 26 October 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 at VLIZ. [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record