Epifungium ulu

(Pilsbry, 1921)

Description:

Dimensions range from 2 mm - 145.8 mm high and 1 mm - 6 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.5:1 ~ 0.04:1

Shell: elongate conical; fragile, thin walled, easily shattered; microscopic to large. Exterior colour white, creamy white. About 16.25 whorls; protoconch with 3.24-3.5 whorls glassy; teleoconch with 8-12.75 whorls convex, rapidly enlarging. Suture deep, moderately deep. Umbilicate: very narrow or closed. Approximately 15 - 39 costae on the body whorl. Costae are delicate, unevenly spaced, threadlike. Costae not continuous. Intercostal spaces spiral threads which vary in strength on each whorl. Interstices with approximately 9 - 25 spiral striae per whorl. Aperture subcircular, rather trapezoidal, lip slightly reflected below; outer lip narrowly reflected. Operculum paucispiral.

E. ulu differs from E. hoeksemai by a length/width ratio of ca. 2.6 instead of ca. 1.9 and by the presence of fewer than 20 spiral threads on the fifth teleoconch whorl. It is the most common epitoniid species associated with Fungiidae.

Distribution:

Hawaii, New Guinea, northern Red Sea, and the Maldive Islands [DuShane, 1990:5]; Seychelles, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Palau [A. & E. Gittenberger, 2005:197]; North Queensland, Australia [Loch, 1988:3]

Habitat:

Intertidal to 35 m. Coral hosts include Fungia spinifer Claereboudt & Hoeksema, 1987, F. scabra Döderlein, 1901, F. concinna, F. horrida Dana, 1846, F. scruposa Klunzinger, 1879, F. fungites, F. granulosa Klunzinger, 1879, F. scutaria Lamarck, 1801, F. moluccensis Van der Horst, 1919, F. gravis Nemenzo, 1955, and F. paumotensis Stutchbury, 1833 [Gittenberger et al., 2000]. In Hawaii it is associated with the solitary coral Fungia scutaria Lamarck, 1801 [DuShane, 1990:5]. Loch [1982:3] also reported it under Fungia actiniformis Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, at depths of 1.5-45 m.

Etymology:

not given

Type Material:

Holotype ANSP 127818, from type locality. for Epifungium ulu (Pilsbry, 1921) - Type Locality: USA, Hawaii, Hilo.. [Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E., 2000]

Pilsbry, H. A. (1920). pp: 376. Fig. 11c.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Pilsbry, H. A. (1920).

pp: 376. Fig. 11c.

pp: 376.

original description

DuShane, H. (1988a).

pp: 31. Fig. 3.

Figure
3. Epitonium ulu Pilsbry; 1921. Length 13.5 mm, width 5.5 mm, Bratcher Collection. Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

pp: 31. Fig. 4.

Figure 4. E. ulu with egg mass. Length of shell 16 mm, width I1 mm, Chaney Collection. Tiran Island, Straits of Tiran, Red Sea.

Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E. (2000).

pp: 96. Fig. 11-12.

11-12. E. ulu Pilsbry, 1921, length 1.6 cm and 1.0 cm, respectively;

Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005).

pp: 160. Fig. 70.

Epifungium ulu
largest specimen (28.2 mm),
Bali, Indonesia

pp: 160. Fig. 71-72.

71, broad specimen, Thailand;
72, slender specimen, Palau;

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]
DuShane, H. (1988a). Geographical Distribution of Some Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Associated with Fungiid Corals. The Nautilus. 102(1). https://ia600905.us.archive.org/9/items/nautilus102amer/nautilus102amer.pdf [Accessed 17 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1988h). Hawaiian Epitoniidae pt.5. Hawaiian Shell News. 36(11). https://www.conchology.be/?t=5002&year=1988&volume=11&hsn=10345 [Accessed 16 September 2023]
DuShane, H. (1990). Hawaiian Epitoniidae. Hawaiian Shell News. 38(Sup.1). Hawaiian Malacological Society
Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005). A hitherto unnoticed adaptive radiation: epitoniid species (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with corals (Scleractinia).. Contributions to Zoology. 74(1-2). Contributions to Zoology. http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/43091 [Accessed 16 July 2023]
Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E. (2000). Epitonium (Gastropoda: Epitoniidae) associated with mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia, with the description of four new species.. The Nautilus. 114(1). The Nautilus. http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/128726.pdf [Accessed 8 March 2025]
Loch, I. (1988). Queensland Epitoniids. Australian Shell News. 39
Pilsbry, H. A. (1920). Marine Mollusks of Hawaii: XIV, XV. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 72. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/84996 [Accessed 4 June 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

Epifungium ulu

(Pilsbry, 1921)

Description:

Distribution:

Hawaii, New Guinea, northern Red Sea, and the Maldive Islands [DuShane, 1990:5]; Seychelles, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Palau [A. & E. Gittenberger, 2005:197]; North Queensland, Australia [Loch, 1988:3]

Habitat:

Etymology:

not given

Type Material:

Holotype ANSP 127818, from type locality. for Epifungium ulu (Pilsbry, 1921) - Type Locality: USA, Hawaii, Hilo.. [Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E., 2000]

Distribution

Pilsbry, H. A. (1920).

pp: 376. Fig. 11c.

pp: 376.

original description

DuShane, H. (1988a).

pp: 31. Fig. 3.

Figure 3. Epitonium ulu Pilsbry; 1921. Length 13.5 mm, width 5.5 mm, Bratcher Collection. Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

pp: 31. Fig. 4.

Figure 4. E. ulu with egg mass. Length of shell 16 mm, width I1 mm, Chaney Collection. Tiran Island, Straits of Tiran, Red Sea.

Gittenberger, A., Goud & Gittenberger, E. (2000).

pp: 96. Fig. 11-12.

11-12. E. ulu Pilsbry, 1921, length 1.6 cm and 1.0 cm, respectively;

Gittenberger A. & Gittenberger E. (2005).

pp: 160. Fig. 70.

Epifungium ulu largest specimen (28.2 mm), Bali, Indonesia

pp: 160. Fig. 71-72.

71, broad specimen, Thailand; 72, slender specimen, Palau;

Source Literature:

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record

Figure
3. Epitonium ulu Pilsbry; 1921. Length 13.5 mm, width 5.5 mm, Bratcher Collection. Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

Epifungium ulu
largest specimen (28.2 mm),
Bali, Indonesia

71, broad specimen, Thailand;
72, slender specimen, Palau;