Ecphora gardnerae

Ecphora gardnerae is a species of extinct predatory ocenebrinid murex gastropod. Shells of E. gardnerae are found in Miocene-aged marine strata of Maryland and Virginia.

Ecphora gardnerae Temporal range: Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
An apertural view of a shell of Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae, drawn by J. C. McConnell[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Neogastropoda
Family:	Muricidae
Genus:	†Ecphora
Species:	†E. gardnerae
Binomial name
†Ecphora gardnerae Wilson, 1987

Subspecies

Subspecies include:

• Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae, the nominate subspecies
• Ecphora gardnerae germonae

Geological history

Ecphora gardnerae fossil

This species of large carnivorous sea snail lived during the Miocene epoch, and became extinct more than five million years ago.

This species was previously known as Ecphora quadricostata, but that name is now restricted to a species which is found from Pliocene strata in Virginia to Florida. The Miocene-aged specimens found in Maryland have been assigned to a different taxon, Ecphora gardnerae.^[2]

Life habits

As with most other muricids, Ecphora sea snails bored holes through the hard shells of other mollusks, usually bivalves, or sometimes other snails, including other, smaller Ecphoras, in order to feed on their soft insides using a toothed, ribbonlike appendage (common to almost all gastropods) known as a radula.^[3]

Commemoration of the fossil

In March 1994, Dr. Eric Seifter testified before the Maryland Legislature that the classification of the Maryland State Fossil, Ecphora quadricostata was invalid (quadricostata is not actually found in Maryland) and needed to be changed to Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae.^[3] The fossil was named for geologist Julia Anna Gardner.^[4]