Kellet’s Whelk Shell, Kelletia kelleti

Kellet’s Whelk Shell, Kelletia kelletii. Shell courtesy of the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2010. Size: 8.5 cm (3.3 inches) x 4.8 cm (1.9 inches).

The Kellet’s Whelk, Kelletia kelletii (Forbes, 1850) is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Buccinidae Family of Welks. The Shells are large, heavy shells, composed of five to seven whorls with fine spiral lines and eight to ten strong, wide, ribs that run the length of the shell that have rounded knobs where the ribs cross the whorls, a high spire, a moderately long, open, wide siphon canal and an aperture that is wider at the top and narrows toward the bottom. Mature shells have a gray to white exterior and rounded from wear; juveniles are yellowish to tan, with sharper sculpting. Kellet’s Whelk are edible and are fished commercially. Kellet’s Whelk Shells reach a maximum of 17.1 cm (6.7 inches) in length  and 9.6 cm (2.8 inches) in height.

Kellet’s Whelks are found on sand, cobbles, shale, and rock reef and often associated with kelp forests at depths between 2 m (6 feet) and 70 m (230 feet). They sometimes form large groups when feeding on dead fish or other carrion utilizing a movable proboscis that is twice as long as their shell which allows them to find, capture, and drill into prey that is otherwise out of reach. They range from Central California to Asuncion Bay, Baja California Sur. Kellet’s whelk are edible and are fished commercially.

A synonym is Fusus kelletii.