Oldroyd’s Coral Shell, Babelomurex oldroydi

Oldroyd’s Coral Shell, Babelomurex oldroydi. Size: 5.1 cm (2.0 inches) x 3.4 cm (1.3 inches). Shell collected off the beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, October 2019.  Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Oldroyd’s Coral, Babelomurex oldroydi (Oldroyd, 1929), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rocks. The shell is of moderate size and consist of five or six whorls with fine spiral lines and high spiral ridges with some becoming spines, a fairly high spire, an open siphon canal and an oval aperture. The exterior of the shell is scaly and cream to tan in color; the interior is white. Oldroyd’s Coral Shells reach a maximum of 6.1 cm (2.4 inches) in length and 4.1 cm (1.6 inches) in height.

Oldroyd’s Coral Shells are found on rock at depths between 6 m (20 feet) and 40 m (130 feet). They range from Central California south along the northwest and central coasts of Baja to Cedros Island, Baja California.

A synonym is Latiaxis oldroydi.