Funiculate Nerite Shell, Nerita funiculate

Funiculate Nerite Shell, Nerita funiculate. Shell collected off the beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Size: 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) x 1.1 cm (0.4 inches). Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Funiculate Nerite, Nerita funiculate (Menke, 1851), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Neritidae Family of Nerites. The shells body is almost entirely composed of three whorls and they have a very low, flat-topped spire and large aperture that is sculpted with folds and pustules. The exterior of the shell is sculpted with rounded, narrow ridges following along the whorls and close ribs running the length of the shell. The exterior of the shell is a pattern of black and white lines and speckles; the interior is white. The Funiculate Nerite Shells reach a maximum of 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) in length and 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) in height.

Funiculate Nerites are found attached to and under rocks in the intertidal zone to depths up to 5 m (15 feet). They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez, and range south to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands.

Synonyms include Nerita bernhardi, Nerita cerostoma, Nerita excavata, Nerita genuana, Nerita granulata, and Nerita regalis.