Channeled Nassa Shell, Nassarius fossatus

Channeled Nassa Shell, Nassarius fossatus. Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2009. Size: 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) x 2.4 cm (0.9 inches).

The Channeled Nassa, Nassarius fossatus (Gould, 1850), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Nassariidae Family of Muds. They are also known as the Channeled Basket Welk, the Channeled Dog Whelk, and the Giant Western Nassa. The shells have a large body whorl, a high spire, and strong, diagonal, ridges that run the length of the shell, but are more obvious in the top half, that have numerous, fine, spiral lines cross these ridges, giving a basket-weave appearance, a short and curved siphon canal and an oval aperture that has low ridges on the inside of both lips. The anterior end of the body whorl is separated from the rest of the body whorl by a deep channel. The exterior of the shell is an orange-tan color; the aperture lips are brighter orange; and the interior is white. Channeled Nassa Shells reach a maximum length of reach 3.2 cm (1.2 inches).

Channeled Nassa Shells are found on sand and mudflats in the intertidal zone to depths up to 18 m (60 feet). They range from Vancouver Island, Canada to San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California Sur. They have not been documented from the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Buccinum elegans, Buccinum fossatum, Nassa moreti, and Nassa reevei.