Epitoniidae
Epitonium scalare (Linne, 1758)
[Ohitokake]
Description
Glossy white or glossy light brown with white axial ribs.
Spire move away from each other. Thick, plate-like axial ribs
connects each spire. Umbilicus narrow and deep.
Locality
Australia: Off Queensland.
Philippines: Bohol, Bantayan, Mindanao.
South China Sea: Off Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan.
Japan: Okinawa, Kyushu,
Koci, Kii Peninsula,
Sagami Bay,
Mouth of Tokyo Bay,
Boso Peninsula.
Original articles of scientific name
1758 Turbo scalare Linne, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 764.
Original of Japanese name
1836 Sekiju Musashi. Kougai gunbunhinshu.
Remarks
This species is extremely rare in the mouth of Tokyo Bay, and obtaining
live specimens is particularly difficult. While they were mainly supplied
from Taiwan and the Philippines, in recent years particularly large
specimens have been obtained off the coast of Vietnam. Unfortunately,
the above specimen (from the mouth of Tokyo Bay) has lost its luster in
the whorls. This may be because their habitat is harsh. Alternatively,
the specimens from overseas that we usually see are perhaps only the
beautiful ones that have been selected at their place of origin.
