Elenae Moon Shell, Stigmaulax elenae

Elenae Moon Shell, Stigmaulax elenae. Shell courtesy of the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2010. Size: 5.8 cm (2.3 inches) x 4.5 cm (1.8 inches).

Elenae Moon Shell, Stigmaulax elenae. Shell collected off the beach of Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, May 2023. Size:  3.0 cm (1.2 inches) x 3.1 cm (1.2 inches). Collection, identification and photographs courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato.

The Elenae Moon, Stigmaulax elenae (Re’cluz, 1844), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Naticiae Familly of Moons. Their shells are stout with four to five whorls with a calcareous operculum. The exterior of the shell is shiny and white to cream in color and they are marked with fine, often wavy, tan to reddish-brown lines running from the shoulder to the base. The interior has a purple blush. Elenae Moon Shells reach a maximum of 5.8 cm (2.3 inches) in length and 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) established by the shell photographed above.

Elenae Moons are found over and within sand substrate at depths between 3 m (10 feet) and 40 m (130 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. They are found in the southern portion of the Sea of Cortez, from Loreto to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Synonyms are Natica elenae and Natica haneti.