A genus of sea snails with distinctive spiral shells that have sharp, blade-like ridges running along their surface.
From Greek 'epi-' (upon) and 'tonos' (tension, tone), referring to the stretched or tense appearance of the shell's ridges. The Latinized form became the scientific genus name in marine taxonomy.
These snails create gorgeous shells that look like they're made of thin sheets stacked together—in reality, each ridge represents a period when the snail stopped growing briefly, kind of like growth rings on a tree but made of calcium carbonate.
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