California Spiny Jewel Box Shell, Arcinella californica

California Spiny Jewel Box Shell, Arcinella californica. Size: 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) x 4.8 cm (1.9 inches). Shell collected from within the estuary of the Magdalena Bay complex, Baja California Sur, October 2018.

The California Spiny Jewel Box, Arcinella californica (Dall, 1903), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Chamidae Family of Jewel Boxes. The shell is somewhat cubical in shape, with an irregular outline. The exterior of the shell is adorned with elegant spines, some of which reach 6.0 cm (2.6 inches) in length. The shell is white in color. The California Spiny Jewel Box Shells reach a maximum of 7.4 cm (2.9 inches) in length and 7.1 cm (2.8 inches) in height.

California Spiny Jewel Boxes attach to solid substrate as juvenile and then become free living as adults. They are found over and within sand and fine rubble at depths between 11 m (35 feet) and 76 m (250 feet) and range from Cedros Island, Baja California south to Peru and throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Echinochama arcinella and Echinochama californica.