Recluz’s Moon Shell, Neverita recluzianus

Recluz’s Moon Shell, Neverita recluzianus. Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, February 2011. Size: 5.8 cm (2.3 inches) x 4.8 cm (1.9 inches).

Recluz’s Moon, Neverita recluziana (DeShays, 1839), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Naticidae Family of Moon Shells. They are also known as the Tall Moon Snail. They have a tall, solid shell with four to five whorls, a pronounced spire than in most Moon Snails that has flat-sided whorls, and a bluntly pointed apex. The exterior of the shell is smooth, with fine growth lines and the shell is grayish-brown to light brown in color; the base and interior are white. Recluz’s Moon Shells reach a maximum of 8.4 cm (3.3 inches) in length and 7.0 cm (2.7 inches) in height.

Recluz’s Moon Snails are most often found on sandbars and in shallow bays from the intertidal zone to depths up to 50 m (165 feet). They range from Northern California to Mazatlán, Sinaloa and are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include: Glossaulax reclusiana, Natica reclusiana, Neverita sacta, Polinices reclusiana, and Polinices reclusianus.