Burnt Dove Shell, Columbella fuscata

Burnt Dove Shell, Columbella fuscata. Collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2020. Size: 2.2 cm (0.9 inches) x 0.7 cm (0.3 inches).

Phylogeny: The Burnt Dove, Columbella fuscata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1832), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Columbellidae Family of Dove Shells. The genus Columbella is one of seventy-seven genera in this family, and there are eighteen species in this genus. They are also known as the Spotted Dove Shell and in Mexico as Columbelida Punteada.

Description: The Burnt Dove shell is diamond-shaped in profile. They have a wide body whorl that tapers to the canal. The shell is topped by a short spire. The shell is smooth and thin, with dentition on both sides of the aperture. The exterior of the shell is dark brown, chestnut or tan, with white spots covering the surface. For most specimens, the spots form larger blotches just below the suture (where the spire meets the body whorl). The interior of the shell is white, with some individuals having a lavender tinge. They are covered with an olive color periostracum. The Burnt Dove Shells reach a maximum of 2.2 cm (0.9 inches) in length and 0.7 cm (0.3 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Burnt Doves are found on sand, or under rocks in sand. They live in the intertidal zone, and at depths up to 6 m (20 feet). They are a tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula, and north of Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California, in the Sea of Cortez.

Ecology and Behavior: Burnt Dove Shells are omnivorous grazers.  They are preyed upon by crabs, fish, predatory mollusks and shorebirds. These shells are gonochoric and reproduce sexually with internal fertilization. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Burnt Dove has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Columbella luteola, Columbella meleagris, Columbella nodalina, Columbella fuscata var. pallescens, and Columbella vulpecula.