Cone Slipper Shell, Calyptraea conica

Cone Slipper Shell, Calyptraea conica. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, May 2025. Size: 2.4 cm (1.0 inches) x 1.1 cm (0.4 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Cone Slipper Shell, Calyptraea conica. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, May 2025. Size: 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) x 1.9 cm (0.7 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Phylogeny: The Cone Slipper, Calyptraea conica (Broderip, 1834), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Calyptraeidae Family of Cup-and-Saucer and Slipper Limpet Shells. The Calyptraea genus is one of eleven genera in the Calyptraeidae Family, and there are twenty-one species in the Calyptraea genus.

Description: The Cone Slipper Shell has an irregular circular outline and a high conical profile.  The apex is central and spiraled.  These shells are thin in construction. The exterior is sculpted with commarginal ridges. The internal “shelf” is irregularly shaped and twisted where it joins the center of the shell. The exterior color is yellowish white with brown spots, lines, or chevrons. The interior is white to bluish-white, with the brown markings showing through the shell. Cone Slipper Shells reach a maximum of 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: Cone Slippers are found attached to rocks and stones. They live at depths between 5 m (16 feet) and 183 m (600 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species. They are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula, north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur.

Ecology and Behavior:  Cone Slippers are suspension feeders that feed primarily on planktonic algae, which they filter from the water by use of their gills. They are prey for crabs and gastropods. Cone Slipper Shells are protandrous hermaphrodites, beginning life as males and later becoming females. They reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or mutualistic relationship has not been documented. From a conservation perspective the Cone Slipper 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: Calyptraea aspersa and Calyptraea sordida.