Spiny Cup-and-Saucer Shell, Crucibulum spinosum

Spiny Cup-and-Saucer Shell, Crucibulum spinosum. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2011. Size: 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) x 2.6 cm (1.0 inch).

Spiny Cup-and-Saucer Shell, Crucibulum spinosum. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2011. Size: 3.1 cm (1.2 inches) x 2.4 cm (0.9 inch).

The Spiny Cup-and-Saucer, Crucibulum spinosum (G. B. Sowerby, 1824), is a member of the Calyptraeidae Family of Cup-and-Saucer and Slipper Limpets. They have a circular outline and the apex is central and recurved. The exterior of the shell is sculpted with wavy, radiating ridges that are studded with spines that vary in length varies between individual shells and some become tubular in shape. The exterior of their shell is yellowish white and may have brown specks, or brownish rays or purplish rays. The interior of the cup is white, and flattened on one side. The Spiny-Cup-and-Saucer Shells reach a maximum length of 7.1 cm (2.8 inches).

The Spiny-Cup and Saucer Shells are found attached to rocks and shells in the intertidal zone to depths up to 180 feet. They range from Central California to Chile, including the Galapagos Islands and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez. They have also been introduced in Hawaii.

A synonym is Calyptraea spinosa is a synonym.