Tiger Turret Shell, Turritella leucostoma

Tiger Turret Shells, Turritella leucostoma. Size: 7.7 cm (3.9 inches) x 1.7 cm (0.7 inches). Shells collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2009.

The Tiger Turret, Turritella leucostoma (Valenciennes, 1832), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Turretellidae Family of Turret. They are also known as the White-mouth Screw Shell and in Mexico as caracol torre. The shells have eighteen to twenty fairly flat whorls giving the shell an angular appearance. There are several fine ridges running along the whorls. The exterior of the shell is light gray, tan or white, or tan with brown or reddish-brown streaks running obliquely down the whorls; some individuals appear to have a series of dashes running along segments of the whorls. The aperture is white. The Tiger Turret Shells reach a maximum of 12.3 cm (4.8 inches) in length and 2.7 cm (1.1 inches) in height..

Tiger Turret Shells are found over and within sand substrate in the intertidal zone to depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They range from Cedros Island, Baja California to Panama and are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Turritella cumingii, Turritella dura, and Turritella tigrina.