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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium auritum

(G. B. Sowerby II, 1844)

Description:

Dimensions range from 11 mm - 30 mm high and 5 mm - 8.2 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.45:1 ~ 0.27:1

Shell: elongate, acuminate, narrow; small to moderately small. Exterior colour fawn to light brown, glossy, with three brown bands between the costae, costae white. About 13 whorls, convex, gradually increased; protoconch with ~2 whorls ; teleoconch with ~11 whorls convex. Suture impressed. Umbilicate: widely open. Approximately 9 - 13 costae on the body whorl. Costae are low, rounded, thin and occasionally, wide varices. Costae contiguous; joined at the suture. Intercostal spaces smooth. Aperture ovate; peristome complete, angled posteriorly; inner lip anteriorly angularly expanded. Operculum black, horny, paucispiral.


Distribution:

Pacific coast and southern coast of Sea of Japan; Philippines [Nakayama, 2003:57]; Taiwan [Kaicher, 1980:EP1-2334]; Korean Peninsular [NIBR, 2019:328]; Cairns across northern Australia to NIgaloo, WA [Wilson, 1993], Torres Straits [Brazier, 1875:250]; Vietnam [Hylleberg & Kilburn, 2003:67]; Coramandel Coast, India [Reeve, 1873: pl. 5, fig. 30].


Habitat:

intertidal [Nakayama, 2003] offshore to 36m [Brazier, 1875], sand.


Etymology:

[latin] from auritus = ear shaped, possibly in reference to the shape of the shell's aperture.


SpeciesImage

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844). Plate xxxiii. Fig. 62.

36.Sc.AURiTA
(pl. xxxiii. f.62.)
Sow.Jun. Zool Proc. 1844.

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.
Depressiscala aurita (Sowerby, 1844)Type designation not provided in text/ source document'from the coast of Coromandel' (southeastern ), India. [Higo et al., 1999: G1924].
Epitonium (Depressiscala) auritum (Sowerby, 1844)TypeCoast of Coromandel, Philippines. [Nakayama, 2003: 57].
Scalaria aurita G.B. Sowerby II, 1844SyntypeNHM 1981045. Coramandel Coast, India, Cuming collection. [3 specimens]. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1981045].NHMUK 1981045. coast of Coromandel, southeastern, India. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 41].


Sowerby, G. B. II. (1844).
Species Image
Plate xxxiii. Fig. 62.
36.Sc.AURiTA.(pl. xxxiii. f.62.) Sow.Jun. Zool Proc. 1844.
Species Image
pp: 92.
original description
Reeve, L.A. (1873).
Shown in text as Scalaria aurita
Species Image
Plate v. Fig. 30.
Species Image
Species 30. (Mus. Brit.)
SCALARIA AURITA.
Tryon, G.W. (1887).
Species Image
Plate 12. Fig. 84.
Species Image
pp: 59.
Clessin, S. (1897).
Species Image
Plate 18. Fig. 1.
Species Image
pp: 67.
Yokoyama, M (1922).
Species Image
Plate IV. Fig. 13.
Species Image
pp: 85-86.

Synonymy:

Depressiscala aurita (Sowerby, 1844) [Higo et al., 1999: G1924]
Epitonium (Depressiscala) auritum (Sowerby, 1844) [Nakayama, 2003: 57]
Epitonium aurita G.B. Sowerby II, 1844 [Kaicher, 1980: EP1-2334]
Scalaria aurita G.B. Sowerby II, 1844 [Sowerby, 1844: 92; Brown & Neville, 2015: 41; Reeve, 1873: pl. 5, fig. 30; Yokoyama, 1922: 85; Clessin, 1897: 67; Brazier, 1875: 250; Tryon, 1887: 59; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1981045]


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]
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]
Hylleberg, J. & Kilburn, R. N. (2003). Marine molluscs of Vietnam: Annotations, voucher material. Phuket Marine Biological Center Special Publication. 28
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]
Nakayama, T. (2003). A Review of Northwest Pacific Epitoniids. Monographs of Marine Mollusca. 6. Backhuys Publishers
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]
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]
Yokoyama, M. (1922). Fossils from the Upper Musashino of Kazusa and Shimosa.. Journal of the College of Science, Imperial University of Tokyo. 44(1). http://umdb.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/DKoseibu/pdf/Ref_0465_.pdf [Accessed 21 June 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record