Banded Periwinkle Shell, Littoraria variegata

Banded Periwinkle Shell, Littoraria variegata. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur. Size:  2.6 cm (1.0 inch) x 1.9 cm (0.7 inches).

The Banded Periwinkle, Littoraria variegata (Souleyet, 1852), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Littorinidae Family of Periwinkle. It is also known as the Fasciate Periwinkle. The Banded Periwinkle shell has five or six whorls, with the body whorl being large.  They have a sharply pointed apex and their exterior is sculpted with fine lines running along the whorls, and oblique growth ridges running the length of the shell. The exterior of the shell is cream to golden brown in color, with darker brown speckles, lines, and/or blotches; the interior is cream to yellowish. Some specimens have a solid or interrupted brown line along the margin of the outer lip of the aperture. Banded Periwinkles reach a maximum of 4.0 cm (1.6 inches) in length and 2.9 cm (1.2 inches) in height.

Banded Periwinkles are found attached to mangroves and on rocks in protected waters in the intertidal zone. They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Ecuador. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez, though limited by habitat.

A synonym is Littorina fasciata.