Swollen Hairy Triton Shell, Turritriton gibbosus

Swollen Hairy Triton Shell, Turritriton gibbosus. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, March 2022. Size: 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.3 cm (0.5 inches). Collection, photographs and identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

The Swollen Hairy Triton, Turritriton gibbosus (Broderip, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Cymatiidae Family of Tritons. These shells are small and knobby, consisting of around seven whorls. The tops of the whorls are flat, giving the spire a stair step appearance. There are four varices per whorl. The outer lip of the aperture is wide and thick, with “teeth” along the aperture. The siphon is moderate in length, and open. The exterior of the shell maybe yellowish, brown, gray, or variegated with all these colors, plus white. The interior of the shell is white. Swollen Hairy Triton shells reach a maximum of 4.0 cm (1.5 inches) in length and 2.3 cm (0.8 inches) in height.

Swollen Hairy Tritons reside on, and under, rocks.  They are found from the intertidal zone to depths up to 100 m (328 feet). They are found throughout the Gulf of California, and south to Peru. They have not been recorded from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula.

Synonyms are Cymatium gibbosum, Cymatium adairense, and Triton gibbosus.