Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Opalia koskinum

(Hedley, 1909)

Description:

Dimensions range from 2.15 mm - 8 mm high and 1 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.47:1 ~ 0.13:1

Shell: conical acuminate; microscopic to small. About 9 whorls; protoconch with ~4 whorls smooth subulate protoconch whorls; teleoconch with ~5 whorls. Imperforate: without umbilicus. Approximately 10 costae on the body whorl. Costae are strongly angled. Intercostal spaces crossed by fine close punctate grooves. Base flattened. Aperture subcircular, lip externally margined by a varix.

Distribution:

New South Wales [Kaicher, 1981:EP2-3054]; Hope Islands, QLD [Hedley, 1909:443]

Habitat:

shallow water, 9.1-18.2 m [2.5-10 fthms] [Hedley, 1909:443]

Type Material:

Syntype: AMS C.27375, figured by Kaicher (1981: 3054) for Opalia koskinum (Hedley, 1909) - Type Locality: Hope Islands, Queensland, Australia, 5-10 fms [= 9-18 m]. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

SpeciesImage

Hedley, C. (1909). Plate XL. Fig. 59.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Hedley, C. (1909).

Species Image

Plate XL. Fig. 59.

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Plate XL. Fig. 60.

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pp: 443.

Kaicher, S.D. (1981).

Species Image

Card #: EP2-3054.

Syntype: Australian Museum C.27375

Atlas of Living Australia (2025).

Species Image

Syntype: Australian Museum C 27375

Source Literature:

Atlas of Living Australia (2025). Image details: c5ee4ed0-b00a-47d5-8625-45704d2edc37. Atlas of Living Australia. https://images.ala.org.au/image/c5ee4ed0-b00a-47d5-8625-45704d2edc37 [Accessed 29 May 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]
Hedley, C. (1909). Mollusca from the Hope Islands, North Queensland. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 34. Linnean Society of New South Wales. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6381403 [Accessed 11 March 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
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record