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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Narvaliscala dorysa

Iredale, 1936

Description:

Dimensions range from 14.1 mm - 28 mm high and 7 mm - 9 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.5:1 ~ 0.32:1

Shell: elongate, acuminate; rather thick; small to moderately small. Exterior colour white, brown. About 15 whorls, rounded; protoconch apex is missing. Suture suture distinctly constricted. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 17 - 22 costae on the body whorl. There are 1 varices on each whorl. Intercostal spaces spirally corded, granulose. Interstices with approximately 5 - 6 spiral striae per whorl. Base distinctly flat basal disc with a peripheral keel, basal disc flattened granulose without axial or spiral threads. Columella margin hardly curved. Aperture almost circular, circular and attached to the base, lip thickened by varix externally; peristome incomplete; outer lip thickened.

This species is close to A. (N.) percancellata, but is easily distinguished by its stronger axia ribs overridden by spiral lira.


Distribution:

Off Kii Peninsula, Japan [Nakayama, 2003:12]; Victoria, Australia, holotype from Gabo Island, Victoria [Iredale, 1936: 31, and Australian Museum, 2026: C.60656].


Habitat:

240-320 m deep, 240m [Nakayama, 2003: 12] to 457 m [Beechey, 2008ac].


Etymology:

.


Type Material:

Type for Narvaliscala dorysa Iredale, 1936 - Type Locality: 150-200 fathoms off Gabo Island. [Iredale, 1936: 31]
Holotype: Australian Museum, C.60656 for Narvaliscala dorysa Iredale, 1936 - Type Locality: Australia, Victoria, Off Gabo Is (37° 41' 00' S, 150° 13' 00' E) /11/1913 - /12/1913, Accession, FIS 'Endeavour'.. [Australian Museum, 2026: C.60656]


SpeciesImage

Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 18.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).
Species Image
Plate xxii. Fig. 18.
Species Image
Plate xxii.
Macpherson, J.H. & Gabriel, C.J. (1962).
Species Image
pp: 118.
Nakayama, T. (2003).
Shown in text as Amaea (Narvaliscala) dorysa (Iredale, 1936)
Species Image
pp: 115. Plate 6. Fig. 27.
Amaea (Narvaliscala) dorysa (Iredale, 1936)
height 25.9 mm; breadth 9.0 mm
Beechey, D. (2008ac).
Species Image
pp: Murdochella macrina. Fig. 1.
Off Greenwell Point, Nowra, NSW, in 360 m (C.147342)
Australian Museum (2026).
Species Image
Fig. C.60656.
Narvaliscala dorysa Iredale, 1936
Holotype: C.60656
Australia, Victoria, Off Gabo Is (37° 41' 00" S, 150° 13' 00" E) /11/1913 - /12/1913(Collector), Dredged.
Australian Museum. Photograph: M. Allen.
Copyright Australian Museum. Released under Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0.

Synonymy:

Amaea (Narvaliscala) dorysa (Iredale, 1936) [Nakayama, 2003: 12]
Narvaliscala dorysa Iredale, 1936 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 64]


Source Literature:

Australian Museum (2026). Australian Museum provider for OZCAM. Occurrence dataset. Atlas of Living Australia. https://doi.org/10.15468/e7susi accessed via GBIF.org [Accessed 18 July 2026]
Beechey, D. (2008ac). Narvaliscala_dorysa. Seashells of NSW. https://seashellsofnsw.org.au/Epitoniidae/Pages/Narvaliscala_dorysa.htm [Accessed 10 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. (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]
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]
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. Vol.1. Odessey Publications
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