Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium calideum

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 7 mm - 14 mm high and 3 mm - 5 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.43:1 ~ 0.36:1

Shell: attenuate-fusiform,; delicate, yet quite sturdy; minute to small. Exterior colour whitish, costae shiny, white . About 11 whorls; protoconch with ~2 whorls very smooth, white-milky, translucent;; teleoconch with ~9 whorls ventricose. Suture deeply impressed. Imperforate. Approximately 20 costae on the body whorl. Costae are thin, erect, somewhat sinuous costae. Intercostal spaces smooth intervals. Aperture round, white inside.

Distribution:

Persian Gulf

Habitat:

offshore in fairly shallow water

Etymology:

[greek] from kados and eidos = of beautiful form

Type Material:

Syntype: NHMUK 1903.12.15.25 [as Scala calidea Melvill & Standen, 1903:] - Locality: Muscat, Persian Gulf, 15 fms [= 27 m].. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

SpeciesImage

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903). Plate VII.

Scala calidea sp.n. (PI. VII., fig. 2).

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903).

Species Image

Plate VII.

Scala calidea sp.n. (PI. VII., fig. 2).

Species Image

pp: 341-342.

original description

Kaicher, S.D. (1980).

Species Image

Card #: EP1-2294.

BMHM type collection 1903.12.15.25

Synonymy:

Scala calidea Melvill & Standen, 1903: [in Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015].

Source Literature:

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]
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]
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903). The genus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as represented in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new species.. Journal of Conchology. 10. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31650162 [Accessed 26 February 2025]
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