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).

Belcher’s Miter, Subcancilla blecheri (Hinds, 1843), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Mitridae Family of Miters. The shell is a large and sturdy 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.

Belcher’s Miters are found on and within sand substrate at depths between 18 m (60 feet) and 55 m (180 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Panama and in the Sea of Cortez from La Paz to the Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Synonyms include Mitra belcheri and Mitra (nebulifera) belcheri.