Toothed Nutmeg Shell, Cancellaria indentata
Toothed Nutmeg Shell, Cancellaria indentata. Shell collected off the beach of Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, June 2025. Size: 3.3 cm (1.3 inches) x 3.0 cm (1.2 inches). Collection, photographs and identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato.
Phylogeny: The Toothed Nutmeg Shell, Cancellaria indentata G.B. Sowerby I, 1832, is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Cancellariidae Family of Nutmeg Shells. The Cancellaria genus is one of thirty-eight genera in the Cancellariidae Family, and there are thirty-five species in the Cancellaria genus.
Description: Toothed Nutmeg Shells consist of five or six whorls with a moderately high spire. The body whorl is large, solid, and globose. The shoulders are somewhat angled though some specimens are worn and rounded. The exterior is sculpted with pronounced spiral ridges and strong axial ribs, forming a mesh-like pattern and knobs where they overlap. These spiral ridges carry though to the inside of the inner and outer lips of the aperture. The inner lip of the aperture is callused and sculpted with two strong folds. The aperture is fairly large and elongate, with an open canal at both ends. The exterior of these shells is yellowish to reddish-brown, often with darker ribs and ridges. The interior is white. Toothed Nutmeg Shells reach a maximum of around 4.0 cm (1.5 inches) in length, though most are closer to 30 cm (1.1 inches).
Habitat and Distribution: Toothed Nutmeg Shells are found on sand and mud substrates. They live at depths between 18 m (59 feet) and 110 m (361 feet). Toothed Nutmeg shells are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species. In Mexican waters they range from San Carlos Bay, Sonora, to Guatemala. They are absent from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula.
Ecology and Behavior: Little is known about the specific diet of Toothed Nutmeg Shells. They are suctorial feeders that feed on the body fluids of other animals. Other species in the family prey on rays, polychaetes, crustaceans, and other mollusks. Toothed Nutmeg Shells are preyed upon by shore birds, crabs, sea stars, and other gastropods. Toothed Nutmeg Shells are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in protective capsules. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Toothed Nutmeg Shell has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be considered to be of Least Concern.
Synonyms: Bivetia mariei and Cancellaria affinis