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Southwest Florida Shells
José H. Leal
Episcynia inornata
(d'Orbigny, 1842)
Family Tornidae
Fringed Vitrinella

At about 3.5 mm (0.14 inch) in diameter, Episcynia inornata (d’Orbigny, 1842) is one of the “medium-sized” members of the microgastropod family Tornidae (some species of the family measure about 1 mm in diameter only!) Its shell has a flattened trochoid (“top shell-like”) shape, is translucent, probably transparent in the living snail, very thin and fragile, with about 5 whorls. Typically, the shell periphery is garnished with tiny teeth-like projections, with thin wisps of brownish periostracum (the “fringes”) projecting from parts of the shell. The umbilicus is open, lacking a callus. Photos by James F. Kelly.
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