Stromboid Dove Shell, Columbella strombiformis

Stromboid Dove Shell, Columbella strombiformis. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, February 2022. Size: 2.6 cm (1.0 inches) x 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.7 cm (0.7 inches). Photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Stromboid Dove Shell, Columbella strombiformis. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, February 2022. Size: 2.7 cm (1.1 inches) x 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.4 cm (0.6 inches). Photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

The Stromboid Dove, Columbella strombiformis (Lamark, 1822), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Columbellidae Family of Doves, and is the largest of the West American Columbellas. The shell has a swollen body whorl with a ridge at the upper part that forms a spout at the aperture. They are is a dark reddish brown color and spotted and marked with white zigzag and triangular blotches. They are covered with a shaggy olive periostracum. Their aperture is white or tinted with orange with a shallow anterior canal. The Stromboid Dove reach a maximum of 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) in length and 2.0 cm (0.8 inches) in height.

Stromboid Doves are found on sand, or under rocks in sand in the intertidal zone to depths up to 6 m (20 feet). They range from the northern Sea of Cortez south to Peru.

Synonyms include Columbella bridgesii and Columbella bucainides.