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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Cycloscala echinaticosta

(d'Orbigny, 1842)

Description:

Dimensions range from 3 mm - 15 mm high and 1.5 mm - 4.9 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.5:1 ~ 0.33:1

Shell: slightly globose to elongate-turbinate, broadly conic; microscopic to small. Exterior colour yellowish-white. About 12 whorls, very convex, rapidly enlarging, The initial whorls are closely attached, while the final whorls are free but closely spaced; protoconch with ~3 whorls ; teleoconch with 8-9 whorls first and second post-nuclear whorls with 8 to 9 scalloped axial costae completely encircling teleoconch. Spire with angle of 30 - 35 degrees. Suture not defined. Umbilicate. Approximately 7 - 13 costae on the body whorl. Costae are blade-like, scalloped. Costae lobed, somewhat angled at the shoulder; may be slightly recurved backwards; not connected but may be tightly coiled in some specimens. Intercostal spaces sculptured with fine short threads. Columella not defined. Aperture circular, lip thin, expanded to form a ring around the aperture; inner lip thin. Operculum thin, corneous, light straw coloured.


Distribution:

Gulf of Mexico [Rosenberg et al. 2009:641); Texas, Louisiana; North Carolina to Florida to Barbados [Tunnell et al, 2010], West Indies and south to Barbados in the Lesser Antilles [Clench & Turner, 1951]; Bermuda, Northeast Brazil [Rios, 1985:157]


Habitat:

Coarse sediments in calcareous habitats, intertidal to 366m [ Clench & Turner, 1951: 255, Tunnel et al., 2010, Rios 1985: 157]


Etymology:

[latin] from echinus = spiny or prickly and costa = rib, in reference to the spine like projections on the ribs of the shell


Type Material:

NHMUK per Gray (1854: 18) for Cycloscala echinaticosta (d'Orbigny, 1842) - Locality: St. Thomas, Virgin Is.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
not located [as Scala echinaticosta d'Orb. var. blandii Mörch, 1875] - Locality: St. Thomas, Virgin Is.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
not located [as Scala volubilis Mörch, 1875:] - Locality: St. Thomas, Virgin Is.. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]
Holotype not examined -probably in NHMUK and St. Thomas Virgin Islands for Cycloscala echinaticosta (d'Orbigny, 1842). []


SpeciesImage

Clench, W. J. & Turner, R. D. (1951). pp: 254. Plate 109. Fig. 1-3.

Plate 109. Epitonium echinaticostum d

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Orbigny, A. D. d' (1842).
Species Image
Plate XI. Fig. 4.
Species Image
Plate XI. Fig. 5-6.
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pp: 18-19.
Shell elongate-conical, imperforate, thin, whitish, with elevated, undulating lamellae that are somewhat quadruply-spined; spire conical with a sharp apex; whorls smooth, somewhat separated.

Dimensions
Length: 3 mm
Diameter: 1 mm

Shell conical, thin, not umbilicated, ornamented longitudinally and very obliquely with twelve lamellae per whorl, all prominent, elevated, equal, slightly wavy, and marked along their length by four equally spaced blunt spines. Nucleus sharp, smooth, and conical. Spire conical, composed of very convex whorls, separated, joined only by the lamellae; they are smooth and without a keel.

Color: Uniform white.

The unique feature of the undulating lamellae adorned with four spines distinguishes this species from all other known Scalarias and makes it one of the prettiest.

We discovered it in sand from the island of Saint Thomas, collected by Mr. de Candé.
Gray, J.E., Orbigny, A,D,d', & British Museum Natural History (1854).
Species Image
pp: 18.
record of specimen from Cuba held in BMNH
Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L (1875).
Shown in text as Scala echinaticosta var. blandii Mörch, 1875
Species Image
pp: 256.
Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L (1875).
Species Image
pp: 255-256.
Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L (1875).
Shown in text as Scala volubilis Mörch, 1875
Species Image
pp: 256.
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Species Image
Plate 13. Fig. 98.
Species Image
pp: 64.
Dall, W. H. (1889).
Shown in text as Scala (Cycloscala) dunkeriana Dall, 1889
Species Image
pp: 315-316.
Clench, W. J. & Turner, R. D. (1951).
Species Image
pp: 254. Plate 109. Fig. 1-3.
Plate 109. Epitonium echinaticostum d
Kaicher, S. (1972).
Species Image
Card #: EP3-3570.
de Oliveira, F.M.R and Rocha-Barreira, C.d A, (2009).
Shown in text as Epitonium echinaticostum (Orbigny, 1842)
Species Image
pp: 121. Fig. 1.9.
Tunnell, J. W., Andrews, J., Barrera, N. C., & Moretzsohn, F. (2010).
Species Image
pp: 189.
arsint.com (2023).
Species Image
Cycloscala echinaticosta 5.9 mm
Grenada
Kelly, J, K. (2025).
Species Image
Abaco, Bahamas

Synonymy:

Epitonium echinaticostum (Orbigny, 1842) [in de Oliveira, F.M.R & Rocha-Barreira, C.d A,, 2009].
Scala (Cycloscala) dunkeriana Dall, 1889 [in Dall, W. H., 1889].
Scala echinaticosta d'Orb. var. blandii Mörch, 1875 [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scala echinaticosta var. blandii Mörch, 1875 [in Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L, 1875].
Scala inconstans de Boury, 1913: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].
Scala volubilis Mörch, 1875 [in Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L, 1875].
Scala volubilis Mörch, 1875: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].


Source Literature:

arsint.com (2023). Shells for Sale:Epitonidae. arsint.com. http://www.arsint.com/seashells_epitoniidae_opalia.html [Accessed 21 October 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]
Clench, W. J. & Turner, R. D. (1951). The Genus Epitomium in the Western Atlantic pt 1. Jonsonia. 2(30). The Department of Mollusks, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Universit.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41155946 [Accessed 24 June 2023]
Dall, W. H. (1889). Reports on the results of dredging, under the supervision of Alexander Agassiz, in the Gulf of Mexico (1877-78) and in the Caribbean Sea (1879-80), by the U.S. Coast Survey Steamer "Blake", Lieut.-Commander C.D. Sigsbee, U.S.N., and Commander J.R. Bartlett, U.S.N., commanding. XXIX. Report on the Mollusca. Part 2, Gastropoda and Scaphopoda.. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College. 18. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/25505 [Accessed 14 August 2025]
de Oliveira, F.M.R & Rocha-Barreira, C.d A, (2009). On the family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in North and Northeast Brazil. Arquivos de Ciencias do Mar. 42(1)
García, E. F. & Lee, H. G. (2002). Report on molluscan species found in the offshore waters of Louisiana, including many extensions of known range and unnamed species. American Conchologist. 30(4)
García, E. F. & Lee, H. G. (2003). Report on molluscan  species found in the offshore waters of  Louisiana, including many extensions of known range and unnamed species. II.. American Conchologist. 31(1)
Gray, J.E., Orbigny, A,D,d', & British Museum Natural History (1854). List of the shells of Cuba in the Collection of the British Museum collected by M. Ramon de la Sagra. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53712094 [Accessed 12 June 2025]
Kaicher, S.D. (1983). Epitoniidae III [Pack 35]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Kelly, F.J. (2025). image Cycloscala echinaticosta. Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. https://www.shellmuseum.org [Accessed 13 June 2025]
Lima, S.F.B., Christofferse, M.L., Barros, J.C.N. & Folly, M. (2011). Records and Descriptions of Epitoniidae (Orthogastropoda: Epitonioidea) from the Deep Sea off Northeastern Brazil and a Checklist of Epitonium and Opalia from the Atlantic Coast of South America. International Journal of Zoology. 2012. International Journal of Zoology. doi:10.1155/2012/394381 [Accessed 24 June 2023]
Mörch [Mørch], O. A. L (1875). Synopsis familiæ Scalidarum Indiarum occidentalium.. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den Naturhistoriske Forening i Kjöbenhavn.. 17. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35853322 [Accessed 22 August 2025]
Orbigny, A. D. d' (1842). Mollusques. Histoire physique, politique et naturelle de l'ile de Cuba. 56(1). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43337080 [Accessed 9 July 2025]
Rios, E.C. (1985). Seashells of Brazil. Fundação Universidade do Rio Grande.
Rosenberg, G., Moretzsohn, F. & García, E. (2009). Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico: Its Origins, Waters, and Biota.Vol 1: Biodiversity. D. L. Felder & D. K. Camp, eds,. Texas A & M University Press
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]
Tunnell, J. W., Andrews, J., Barrera, N. C., & Moretzsohn, F. (2010). Encyclopedia of Texas seashells. Encyclopedia of Texas seashells. Texas A&M University Press.
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