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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium coretum

(Iredale, 1936)

Description:

Dimensions range from 10 mm - 16.96 mm high and 4.5 mm - 6.13 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.45:1 ~ 0.36:1

Shell: slender, tall, acuminate, elongate; small. Exterior colour white, costae white. About 12 whorls, rounded, disconnected, joined only by costae; protoconch turbinate with ~4 whorls shining white; teleoconch with 7-8 whorls rounded. Suture deeply impressed, fenestrated. Imperforate: umbilicus closed, however Weil et al. [1999:132] describes the umbilicus as being narrowly open. Approximately 8 - 12 costae on the body whorl. Costae are high, thin with sharp edges. Costae aligned from whorl to whorl; hooked at the shoulders; slightly reflected. Intercostal spaces may be smooth or have very faint striae. Base a little reflected sub-basally but without basal rib. Columella with margins thick and slightly reflexed. Aperture mouth free, ovate; peristome complete; outer lip thick, with normal rib externally. Operculum corneous.

This species resembles E. (Hirtoscala) philippinarum, but differs from it by having intercostal spiral striae, a key character of this subgenus. [Nakayama, 2003:63]


Distribution:

Australia and Japan. In Australia, Crowdy Head, NSW, southwards and around southern Australia to southern WA [Beechey, 2008 & Wilson, 1993:276] In Japan, off Choshi, Boso Peninsule, 80 m [Nakayama, 2003:63].


Habitat:

subtidal, down to 180 m, also known from specimens in beach wash-up [Beechey, 2008]


Type Material:

Holotype: Australian Museum C.060647 for Epitonium coretum (Iredale, 1936) - Locality: Off Green Cape, New South Wales, Australia, at about 112 m deep. [Nakayama, T., 2003]


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Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 9.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).
Shown in text as Acutiscalp coreta, sp. novo
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Plate xxii. Fig. 9.
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pp: 298. Plate xxii.
original description
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
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Holotype: Australian Museum C. 60647
Wilson, B.R. (1993).
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pp: 276. Plate p 276.
Nakayama, T. (2003).
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pp: 127. Plate 12. Fig. 24-25.
figs 24-26: Epitonium (Parviscala) coretum (Iredale, 1936)
h 14.8mm; w 5.6 m
Species Image
pp: 126. Plate 12. Fig. 26.
fig. 26, base
Beechey, D. (2008).
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pp: Epitonium coretum. Fig. 1.
Holotype: Australian Museum C.060647
Off Green Cape, NSW
128 m

Synonymy:

Acutiscalp coreta, sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].
Epitonium [Acutiscala] coreta Iredale, 1936 [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


Source Literature:

Beechey, D. (2008). Shells NSW -Epitonium_coretum. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Epitonium_coretum.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]
Iredale, T. (1936). Australian molluscan notes. No. 2.. Records of the Australian Museum. 19(5). Australian Museum, Sydney. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.19.1936.704 [Accessed 14 September 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]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
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]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record