Gould’s Bubble Shell, Bulla gouldiana

Gould’s Bubble Shell, Bulla gouldiana. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, May 2022. Size: 3.1 cm (1.2 inches) x 1.5 cm (0.6 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Gould’s Bubble Shell, Bulla gouldiana. Shell collected within Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, May 2019. Size: 4.6 cm (1.8 inches) x 3.1 cm (1.2 inches). Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Gould’s Bubble, Bulla gouldiana. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off La Jolla, California, August 2016. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Gould’s Bubble, Bulla gouldiana (Pilsbry, 1895), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Bullidae Family of True Bubbles. They are also known as the California Bubble and the Gloudy Bubble, and in Mexico as caracol burbuja. The shell is egg-shaped and very thin and very delicate that has an exceedingly large body whorl. They have long apertures that extend above the body whorl and lack teeth or folds. The exterior of the shell is pinkish-gray with dark gray spots and blotches with a white border on one side. A few can be brown to dark brown in color. The interior is white but the exterior mottling can be seen through the shell. The surface is smooth and lightly polished. Gould’s Bubble shells is one of the largest species in the Family, that has a maximum length of 7.4 cm (2.9 inches) in length and 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) in height..

Gould’s Bubbles are found within mud and muddy sandy substrate in bays and estuaries. They are also found on sand in protected ocean front locations. They live in the intertidal zone to depths up to 20 m (65 feet). They are a nocturnal species burying themselves, shallowly, during the daylight hours. They range from Southern California to Ecuador and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

A synonym is Bulla nebulosa.