Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium thrasys

(Iredale, 1936)

Description:

Dimensions range from 15.5 mm - 16 mm high and 5.5 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.35:1 ~ 0.34:1

Shell: elongate awl-shaped; thin; small. Exterior colour chalky white. About 13.5 whorls, whorls slightly shouldered, rounded; protoconch subturbinate with ~3.5 whorls glossy whorls, pale brownish, with a darker subsutural line.; teleoconch with ~10 whorls. Suture deep. Imperforate: umbilicus closed. Approximately 20 costae on the body whorl. Costae are fine, thin, erect. Costae peaked above the periphery; not continuous but almost always touching those of the preceding whorl. Intercostal spaces smooth. Aperture subcircular, lip touching previous whorl; peristome complete.

Distribution:

Green Cape, NSW [Weil et al., 1999:132]

Habitat:

128m [Iredale, 1936:296]

Etymology:

[greek] from thrasýs = bold or courageous, possibly in reference to the species striking appearance

Type Material:

Holotype: AMS C.60641 for Epitonium thrasys (Iredale, 1936) - Type Locality: off Green Cape, New South Wales, Australia, 70 fms [= 128 m].. [Brown, L. & Neville, B.D., 2015]

SpeciesImage

Iredale, T. (1936). Plate xxii. Fig. 2.

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Iredale, T. (1936).

Shown in text as Mazescala thrasys, sp. novo

Species Image

Plate xxii. Fig. 2.

Wilson, B.R. (1993).

Species Image

pp: 279.

Synonymy:

Mazescala thrasys, sp. novo [in Iredale, T., 1936].

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]
Iredale, T. (1936). Australian molluscan notes. No. 2.. Records of the Australian Museum. 19(5). Australian Museum, Sydney. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.19.1936.704 [Accessed 14 September 2023]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
Wilson, B.R. (1993). Australian Marine Shells. Australian Marine Shells. 1. Odessey Publications
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record