Kiosque Rock Shell, Thaisella kiosquiformis

Kiosque Rock Shell, Thaisella kiosquiformis. Shell collected off the beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, October 2019. Size: 6.1 cm (2.4 inches) x 4.0 cm (1.6 inches). Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Kiosque Rock, Thaisella kiosquiformis (Duclos, 1832), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rocks. The shells have an angular appearance with five or six whorls with a high very prominent knobbed spire with the knobs continuing down the body in low ridges, a very short siphon canal and a large aperture. There is a frilled area where the spire joins the body whorl. The exterior of the shell is gray to dark brown in color, with varying amounts of white streaking or blotching; the interior is brown and sometimes with white banding. The Kiosque Rock Shells reach a maximum of 6.5 cm (2.6 inches) in length and 4.4 cm (1.7 inches) in height.

Kiosque Rocks are often found in Mangrove forests or on rocks in mud in the intertidal zone to depths up to 10 m (35 feet). They often feed on oysters. They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Purpura kiosquiformis and Thais kiosquiformis.