Modest Periwinkle Shell, Echinolittorina modesta

Modest Periwinkle Shell, Echinolittorina modesta. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur., August 2009. Size: 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) x 1.0 cm (0.4 inches).

The Modest Periwinkle, Echinolittorina modesta (Phillipi, 1846), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Littorinidae Family of Periwinkles. The shells consist of five to six rounded whorls, modestly pointed apex and the exterior is sculpted with a series of ridges following along the whorls. The shell is white in color, with reddish brown speckling or blotching; the aperture is light orange-brown; and, some shells have apertures that are raised with dark brown markings. Modest Periwinkle Shells reach a maximum of 1.9 cm (0.8 inches) in length and 1.3 cm (0.5 inches).

Modest Periwinkles are found along rocky shorelines in the mid to high intertidal zone. They range from Ensenada, Baja California to Peru. They have not been reported from the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Littorina modesta, Littorina phillipi, and Nodilittorina modesta.