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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium cerdantum

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 4 mm - 4 mm high and 1.5 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.38:1 ~ 0.38:1

Shell: oblong-fusiform, acuminate; delicate; minute. Exterior colour white, shiny, smooth. About 9 whorls; protoconch with ~4 whorls attenuate, very smooth, white-brown, glassy; teleoconch with ~5 whorls slightly ventricose, smooth. Suture impressed. Imperforate. Approximately 11 - 14 costae on the body whorl. Costae are thin, erect, sharp. Costae slightly hooked. Aperture ovate-round.


Distribution:

Gulf of Oman


Habitat:

285 m


Etymology:

[greek] from kerdantós = profitable


Type Material:

NHMUK 1903.12.15.15 (holotype). [as Scala cerdanta Melvill & Standen, 1903:] - Type Locality: Gulf of Oman, 24


SpeciesImage

(). Plate V11. Fig. 3.

Scala cerdanta sp.n. (Pl. VII., fig. 3).

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903).
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Plate V11. Fig. 3.
Scala cerdanta sp.n. (Pl. VII., fig. 3).
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pp: 342.
original description
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
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Shell tiny; white; with about 11 thin, erect costae; to approx.
4 mm. (BMH type collection 1903.12.15.15)
Card #: EP1-2390
Gulf of Oman

Synonymy:

Scala cerdanta Melvill & Standen, 1903: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


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]
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903). 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]
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