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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium godfreyi

(Cotton, 1938)

Description:

Dimensions range from 18.9 mm - 25 mm high and 8 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.42:1 ~ 0.32:1

Shell: slender, elongate; small to moderately small. Exterior colour white, glossy. About 10 whorls. Suture very deep. Umbilicate: closed or a slight rimation. Approximately 8 costae on the body whorl. Costae are thin, well spaced, continue over the base. Costae continuous across the whorls; not peaked; rolled back. Intercostal spaces finely irregularly, spirally striate. Base with narrow rib. Aperture oval; outer lip complete, broad; inner lip complete.

Kaicher [1981:EP2-3085] notes this species is rather similar to E. tacitum (Iredale, 1936) but with thinner, more elevated costae, Weil et al. [1999:132] comment that this species is similar to E minorum (Iredale, 1936), but can be distinguished by E godfreyi having reflected costae


Distribution:

South Australia west to Freemantle, Australia [Wilson 1993: 277).


Habitat:

Intertidal to shallow water [Weil et al., 1999:132].


Etymology:

Presumably named for Godfrey, F.K who published works on Australian molluscs with B.C. Cotton in the 1930s.


SpeciesImage

Cotton, B. C. (1939). Plate VII. Fig. 3.

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.
Scala (Laeviscala) godfreyi Cotton, 1939HolotypeSM D.13305. Reevesby Island, South Australia, Australia. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 77].TypeSAMA Reg. No. D.13305. [Cotton, 1939: 172].


Cotton, B. C. (1939).
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Plate VII. Fig. 3.
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pp: 172.
Kaicher, S.D. (1981).
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Card #: EP2-3085.
South Australian Museum D13305 - holotype
Wilson, B.R. (1993).
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pp: 379. Plate 44. Fig. 16.

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Lamelliscala) godfreyi (Cotton, 1939) [Weil et al., 1999: 132]
Scala (Laeviscala) godfreyi Cotton, 1939 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 77; Cotton, 1939: 172]


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]
Cotton, B. C. (1939). Reports of the Expedition of the McCoy Society for Field Investigation and Research. Mollusca. Part 2: General.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 51(1). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/55064465 [Accessed 7 July 2025]
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]
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