Header Image
Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Amaea splendida

(de Boury, 1913)

Description:

Dimensions range from 11 mm - 45 mm high and 5.1 mm - 11 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.46:1 ~ 0.24:1

Shell: turreted; thick; small to medium. Exterior colour white to brown. About 11 whorls, convex; protoconch brownish, conical, frequently missing. Suture rather deep and somewhat canaliculate. Approximately 32 costae on the body whorl. Costae are crispate, dense. Intercostal spaces with 8 uneven spiral cords which create a decussate pattern where they intersect the costae. Interstices with approximately 8 spiral striae per whorl. Base concave with peripheral cord and 5 spiral cords. Base with 5 spiral striae, Aperture ovate; peristome slightly thickened, extended into an external canal.

[Boury, 1913b:286] comments tha 'species differs from Amaea arabica by: finer and denser ornamentation, narrower suture,, and a concave base, with more numerous cords


Distribution:

Japan [Nakayama, 2003:22]; East China Sea [Brown, 2009:23]; Taiwan [Huang & Lee, 2016:15]; Vanuatu and New Caledonia [Garcia, 2003:6]; Persian Gulf, Red Sea [Nakayama, 2003:22]; Mauritius [Boury, 1913b:286]. Brown & Neville [2015:141] give a range extending south to Australia; however, Garcia [2003:6] notes that the species is not listed by Wilson [1993] as part of the Australian fauna. No additional sources have been identified to corroborate the Australian range.


Habitat:

sand, 100 m [Higo et al. 1999: 176] to 320 m [Nakayama 2003: 22].


Etymology:

[latin] from splendidus = splendid, brilliant, presumably referring to the attractive or brilliant appearance of the shell; the reason for the name was not explicitly stated by the author [Boury, 1913b:286].


Type Material:

Type figure, coll. de M. Dautzenberg. Type locality: Île Maurice [Mauritius]. for Amaea splendida (de Boury, 1913). [Brown & Neville, 2015: 141]


SpeciesImage

Garcia, E. F. (2003). pp: 9. Fig. 16-17.

16-17: Amaea splendida (de Boury, 1913). Vanuatu, 19°25'S, 169''27'E, 70-72 m [MUSORSTOM 8: sta. DW976]. length 25 mm

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Boury, E. de. (1913b).
Species Image
Plate X. Fig. 8.
Species Image
pp: 286.
S. (Elegantiscala) splendida de Boury, nov. sp.
(Pl. X, fig. 8)

Shell white, rather large. Slightly smaller than S. arabica, imperforate, elongate-turreted. Suture slightly oblique, deep, somewhat canaliculate, moderately open. Embryonic whorls missing. Following 11 whorls convex, with axial ribsŽ@­É"6X€r2$ì ‚`½Àþ¿¢¢B ‚*á
Species Image
pp: 287.
Garcia, E.F. (2003).
Species Image
pp: 9. Fig. 16-17.
16-17: Amaea splendida (de Boury, 1913). Vanuatu, 19°25'S, 169''27'E, 70-72 m [MUSORSTOM 8: sta. DW976]. length 25 mm
Brown, L. (2009).
Species Image
pp: 23. Fig. 8.
Photo: Tom Eichorst

Synonymy:

Amaea (Scalina) splendida (de Boury 1913) [Heros V. et al., 2007: 218]
Amaea (Scalina) splendida (De Boury, 1912) [Nakayama, 2003: 22]
Scala (Elegantiscala) splendida de Boury [Boury, 1913b: 286]


Source Literature:

Boury, E. de (1913b). Description de Scalidae Nouveaux ou Peu Connus Pt 4. Journal of Conchology. 60(4). https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/55204 [Accessed 4 July 2025]
Brown, L. (2009). Report on the Epitoniidae of the East China Sea. American Conchologist: quarterly bulletin of the Conchologists of America, Inc. 37(2). Lipps-National Press. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/321313 [Accessed 23 July 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]
Garcia, E. F. (2003). New records of Indo-Pacific Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) with the description of nineteen new specie. Novapex. 4 (Hors-série 1). http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42322472 [Accessed 26 August 2023]
Heros V., Lozouet, P., Maestrati, P., von Cosel, R., Brabant D., & Bouchet P (2007). Mollusca of New Caledonia. in: Payri C.E. Richer de Forges B. (Eds.) Compendium of marine species of New Caledonia, Doc. Sci. Tech.. II7 2ed. https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers15-04/010038859.pdf [Accessed 28 February 2026]
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]
Huang, C. W. & Lee, Y.C. (2016). Checklist of the family Epitoniidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Taiwan with description of a new species and some new records. Biodiversity Data Journal. 4. doi: 10.3897/ BDJ.4.e5653 [Accessed 25 August 2023]
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