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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium latifasciatum

(G. B. Sowerby II, 1874)

Description:

Dimensions range from 11.44 mm - 26 mm high and 6.03 mm - 13.6 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.53:1 ~ 0.52:1

Shell: broadly pyramidal, rather ventricose; small to moderately small. Exterior colour white, or pale fulvous, spirally painted with three brown bands, the central band is twice the width of the others. About 11 whorls, rounded, prominent, gradually increasing, contiguous; protoconch with ~5 whorls ; teleoconch with ~6 whorls. Spire rather short. Suture perforated, narrowly fenestrate on later whorls. Umbilicate. Approximately 15 - 29 costae on the body whorl. Costae are simple, thin, rather low, regular. Costae simple at the suture; crests slightly reflexed. Intercostal spaces with faint scratch-like microstriae. Columella obtusely angular. Aperture oval, golden within; inner lip somewhat squared at the anterior.

Apart from its much larger size latifasciata appears remarkably similar to the earlier Scalaria trifasciata Sowerby, 1844 (= Scalaria clementina Grateloup, 1840, non Melanopsis clementina Michelin, 1833, fide Nyst)., Compare with E.clementium., Distinguished by its width.


Distribution:

Mauritius; Mauritius [Kilburn, 1985:117]; Australia, North Queensland; Normanville, South Australia to Bunbury, Western Australia Cotton & Godfrey [1931:8] and Verco [1906: 144], Torres Straits [Brazier, 1875:]; off Mishima, Japan Sea and Philippines [Higo et al., 1999:224]; Korean Peninsular [NIBR, 2019:328].


Habitat:

intertidal [Brown & Neville, 2015:95] to 150m [Higo et al., 1999:224], sandy mud [Brazier, 1875:250].


Etymology:

[latin] from latus = broad or wide and fascia = band or stripe in reference to the broad brown band on the shell.


SpeciesImage

Murrell, T. (2025).

Kurrimine Beach, Queensland, Australia
11.44 x 6.03 mm

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Type Material:

Kilburn [1985: 305] designated BM(NH) 1891.7.28.1, a syntype of Scalaria latifasciata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874 from Mauritius, as lectotype. The NHM online record [Natural History Museum, 2014: ZOO.1891.7.28.1] does not specify its type status; the associated 1891 accession-book entry records the specimen simply as "Type", predating Kilburn's subsequent lectotype designation.

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.
Epitonium rubrolineatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844)Type designation not provided in text/ source documentPhilippines; Australia. [Higo et al., 1999: 224].
Scalaria latifasciata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874LectotypeBMNH 1891.7.28.1. Mauritius. [Kilburn, 1985: 305].NHMUK 1891.7.28.1. Maheburg, Mauritius. on sandy mud. [Kilburn, 1985: 117].NHMUK 1891.7.28.1. Maheburg, Mauritius. on sandy mud. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 95].TypeNHM 1891.7.28.1. Mauritius. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1891.7.28.1].
Scalaria rubro-lineata G.B. Sowerby II, 1844Type not locatedno location given, [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133].no location given, [Brown & Neville, 2015: 133].


Sowerby, G. B. I. (1825).
Shown in text as Scalaria latifasciata
Species Image
Plate xv. Fig. 117a.
Species Image
Plate xi. Fig. 117b.
Species Image
Sea. testd late pyramidatd, perforata, alba, vel pallide fulvd, fasciis tribus fascis, mcdiand laid, spiraliter piictd ; anfractibus rapid'e ciescentibus, rotundis; varicibus mimerosis,
tenuibus, laminatis, ad suturam simplicibus.

The shell is broadly pyramidal, perforated, white, or pale yellow, with three bands, the middle one broad, spirally painted; whorls increasing rapidly, rounded; varices numerous, thin, laminated, simple at the suture.
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).
Shown in text as Scalaria rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844
Species Image
Plate xxxiv. Fig. 83.
Species Image
Plate xxxiv. Fig. 84.
Species Image
pp: 91.
Reeve, L. A. (1873).
Shown in text as Scalaria rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844
Species Image
Plate ix. Fig. 64.
Species Image
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Shown in text as Scalaria rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844
Species Image
Plate 12. Fig. 82.
Species Image
Plate 12. Fig. 83.
Species Image
pp: 60.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Shown in text as Scalaria latefasciata
Species Image
Plate 11. Fig. 1.
Species Image
pp: 37.
Shell broadly pyramidal, perforate, white or pale yellow, spirally marked with three brown bands, the middle one being broad; whorls rapidly increasing, rounded; varices numerous, thin, lamellar, simple near the suture.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Shown in text as Scalaria rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II, 1844
Species Image
Plate 2. Fig. 8.
Species Image
pp: 6.
Shell somewhat swollen, perforate, yellowish, with a single spiral red line between the varices; spire rather short; five contiguous whorls; numerous white varices, moderately curved, simple; aperture golden within, columella bluntly angled.
Verco, J.C. (1906).
Shown in text as Scala rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II
Species Image
pp: 144.
Scalaria rubrolineata, Sow.,
Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931).
Shown in text as Scalaria rubrolineata G.B. Sowerby II, 1847
Species Image
pp: 6.
Kilburn, R.N. (1985).
Shown in text as Scalaria latifasciata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874
Species Image
Holotype: BMNH 1891.7.28.1
21,6 x 13,6 mm
Species Image
pp: 305.
Murrell, T. (2025).
Species Image
Kurrimine Beach, Queensland, Australia
11.44 x 6.03 mm
Species Image

Synonymy:

Epitonium rubrolineatum (G. B. Sowerby II, 1844) [Higo et al., 1999: 224]
Scala rubrolineata [Reeve, 1873: pl. 9, fig. 64]
Scala rubrolineata G. B. Sowerby II [Verco, 1906: 144; Clessin, 1897: 6; Tryon, 1887: 60]
Scalaria latefasciata [Clessin, 1897: 37]
Scalaria latifasciata [Reeve, 1873: pl. 15, fig. 117a-b; Natural History Museum, 2014: pl. 15, fig. 117a-b]
Scalaria latifasciata G. B. Sowerby II, 1874 [Kilburn, 1985: 117; Brown & Neville, 2015: 95; Kilburn, 1985: 305; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1891.7.28.1]
Scalaria rubro-lineata [Brazier, 1875: 250]
Scalaria rubro-lineata G.B. Sowerby II, 1844 [Sowerby, 1844: 91; Brown & Neville, 2015: 133]
Scalaria rubrolineata G.B. Sowerby II, 1847 [Cotton & Godfrey, 1931: 8]


Source Literature:

Brazier, J. (1875). Shells collected during the Chevert Expedition, with Descriptions of the New Species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 1(3). Linnean Society of New South Wales.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22887 [Accessed 3 September 2025]
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]
Clessin, S. (1897). Die Familie der Scalariidae. In W. Kobelt (Ed.), Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Neu herausgegeben und vervollständigt. 2(13). Bauer & Raspe, NürnbergBauer & Raspe, Nürnberg. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34259905 [Accessed 21 June 2025]
Cotton, B.C. & Godfrey, F.K. (1931). South Australian Shells Part II. The South Australian Naturalist. 13(1). Field Naturalists Society of South Australia. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42129287 [Accessed 8 June 2025]
Higo, S., Callomon, P. & Goto, Y. (1999). Catalogue and Bibliography of the Marine Shell-Bearing Mollusca of Japan.. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266375656_Catalogue_and_Bibliography_of_the_Marine_Shell-Bearing_Mollusca_of_Japan [Accessed 25 July 2025]
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]
Kilburn, R.N. (1985). The family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in southern Africa and Mozambique. Annals of the Natal Museum. 27(1). Natal Museum
Murrell, T. (2025). Personal Collection
Natural History Museum (2014). NHM Collection specimens [Data set]. Natural History Museum. https://doi.org/10.5519/0002965 [Accessed 6 April 2026]
NIBR National Institute of Biological Resources, (2019). National Species List of Korea II. Vertebrates · Invertebrates · Protozoa. National Institute of Biological Resources.
Reeve, L. A. (1873). Monograph of the genus Scalaria. Conchologia iconica, or illustrations of the shells of molluscous animal. 19. London. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8217819 [Accessed 24 August 2023]
Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Monograph of the genus Scalaria.. Thesaurus conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells.. 1 (4). London, privately published.. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11076419 [Accessed 22 June 2023]
Tryon, G.W. (1887). Manual of conchology, structural and systematic with illustrations of the species. IX. Academy of Natural Sciences. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11026889 [Accessed 20 September 2025]
Verco, J.C. (1906). Notes on South Australian marine Mollusca, with descriptions of new species. Part IV.. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia. 30 Pt 4. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16124267 [Accessed 19 June 2023]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
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