Gulf of Aden, Red Sea. Introduced in eastern mediterranean: Mersin 1995, Cyprus 1997, Crete 2008, Anatoliki Makedonia 2013… Predator on mussels in rocky bottoms of the shallow infralittoral. Recorded as corallivorous in the Persian Gulf (2007, in Saledhoust & al., 2011) but this could result from a confusion with E. martensi Schepman 1892: formerly known as Morula martensi Dall 1923, the species was indeed often confused with the martensi of Schepman.
Shell « slender, lanceolate, heavy, nodose. Shoulder weakly sloping, concave. White or creamy white with dark brown or blackish colored primary spiral cords and occasionally scondary cords 2 or 3. Aperture glossy white. Spire very high with 3,5 protoconch whorls and teleoconch up to 7 weakly convex, strongly shouldered, nodose whorls. Suture adpressed. Protoconch small, conical, acute; terminal lip raised, of sinusigeral type. Axial sculpture of teleoconch whorls consisting of high, strong, broad, nodose ribs and erratically placed strong varices. Last teleoconch whorl with 8-11 ribs, occasionally with one or two errratically placed, broad varices. Spiral sculpture of high, strong, nodose and squamose primary, secondary and tertiary cords. […] Aperture large, narrow, ovate; columellar lip smooth, entirely adherent, with low parietal tooth at adapical extremity; anal notch deep, borad; outer lip weakly erect, […] denticles elongate within aperture. Siphonal canal short, broad, dorsally recurved, broadly open. » – R. Houart: “Rehabilitation of Ergalatax martensi…” The Nautilus 122(2) 2008, p.102-105.
Shell « slender, lanceolate, heavy, nodose. Shoulder weakly sloping, concave. White or creamy white with dark brown or blackish colored primary spiral cords and occasionally scondary cords 2 or 3. Aperture glossy white. Spire very high with 3,5 protoconch whorls and teleoconch up to 7 weakly convex, strongly shouldered, nodose whorls. Suture adpressed. Protoconch small, conical, acute; terminal lip raised, of sinusigeral type. Axial sculpture of teleoconch whorls consisting of high, strong, broad, nodose ribs and erratically placed strong varices. Last teleoconch whorl with 8-11 ribs, occasionally with one or two errratically placed, broad varices. Spiral sculpture of high, strong, nodose and squamose primary, secondary and tertiary cords. […] Aperture large, narrow, ovate; columellar lip smooth, entirely adherent, with low parietal tooth at adapical extremity; anal notch deep, borad; outer lip weakly erect, […] denticles elongate within aperture. Siphonal canal short, broad, dorsally recurved, broadly open. » – R. Houart: “Rehabilitation of Ergalatax martensi…” The Nautilus 122(2) 2008, p.102-105.
On stones, Shikmona beach, Haifa, NW. Israel, december 2007. 24-25mm.
« This species is named in honor of Mrs. Marie-Louise Buyle-Junion (1916-2003), former librarian of the Belgian Malacological Society. She was one of the mainstays of the Society, together with her husband, Jean Buyle. »
