Belcher’s Miter Shell, Subcancilla blecheri

Belcher’s Miter Shell, Subcancilla blecheri. Shell courtesy of the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, January 2010. Size: 12.2 cm (4.8 inches) x 3.3 cm (1.3 inches).

Phylogeny: Belcher’s Miter, Subcancilla blecheri (Hinds, 1843), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Mitridae Family of Miters. The genus Subcancilla is one of thirty-six genera in this family, and there are eighteen species in this genus.

Description: Belcher’s Miter shell is a large and sturdy. It that consists of eight to nine, flat-sided, whorls that are marked by wide, flat, spiral ridges. The exterior of the shell is white to beige in color and often covered by a dark greenish periostracum. Belcher’s Miter Shells can reach a maximum of 14.8 cm (5.8 inches) in length and 4.0 cm (1.6 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Belcher’s Miters are found on and within sand substrate at depths between 18 m (60 feet) and 55 m (180 feet). They are a tropical Eastern Pacific species. In Mexican waters they range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Guatemala,  and in the Gulf of California from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Ecology and Behavior:  Belcher’s Miters are predatory carnivores that feed on shelled invertebrates.  They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually,  with internal fertilization. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic relationships. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Mitra belcheri and Mitra (nebulifera) belcheri.