Maura False Limpet Shell, Siphonaria maura

Maura False Limpet Shell, Siphonaria maura.Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2021. Size: 2.0 cm (0.8 inches) x 1.6 cm (0.6 inches).

The Maura False Limpet, Siphonaria maura (G.B. Sowerby, 1835), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Siphonariidae Family of False Limpets. They are also known as the Dark False Limpet. The shell is ovate and varies in color, height and profile. Their apex is located just below the shell’s center and the exterior of the shell is sculpted with coarse and fine radial ribs. The exterior or the shell can be a light to very dark brown, often with white rays; the interior is brown to dark brown, with the white rays showing around the margin. Maura False Limpets reach a maximum of 2.2 cm (0.8 inches) in length and 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) in height.

Maura False Limpets are found attached to rocks in the intertidal zone. They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru. They are found in the Sea of Cortez, from La Paz to the Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.