Giant Forreria Shell, Forreria belcheri

Giant Forreria Shell, Forreria belcheri. Shell collected off the beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Size: 16.8 cm (6.6 inches) x 9.3 cm (3.7 inches). Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Giant Forreria, Forreria belcheri (Hinds, 1843), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rocks, that is also known as Belcher’s Chorus. The shells are large and heavy with five to seven large spined whorls, a relatively low to moderate spire, a curved, long, open siphon canal with older siphon canals being immediately adjacent the current canal, and an aperture that is large with a thin outer lip that has one large tooth at its lower end. The exterior of the shell is cream to tan in color, with darker and lighter banding; the interior is white. The Giant Forreria Shells reach a maximum of 10.4 cm (7.4 inches) in length and 5.8 cm (2.3 inches) in height.

Giant Forreria Snails are found on shallow mudflats and on soft substrates in deeper water, in the intertidal zone to depths up to 35 m (115 feet). They range from Central California to Guerrero Negro, Baja California. They have not been documented from the Sea of Cortez.

A synonym is Murex belcheri.