Maura Turrid Shell, Crassispira maura

The Pseudomelatomidae Family of Turrids have shells that vary tremendously in size and shape and they range in size from less than two millimeters to 15.0 cm (5.9 inches). Most of the shells are somewhat bullet-shaped or diamond- shaped with moderate to high spires. The one defining characteristic of the Family is a notch, which is “V” or “U” shaped or a subtle deflection in the growth lines, in the upper end of the outer lip of the aperture. They have external sculpting that can be fine or coarse, spiral ridges, length-wise ridges, crisscross ridges (cancellate), knobs, or spines. Many have subdued coloration, but some are brightly colored. Like Cone Shells, Turrids are venomous predators utilizing their uniquely designed radula as a harpoon and then envenomate their prey paralyzes the prey animal. Different Turrid species have differently shaped radula that match their prey that include fish, mollusks, or polychaete worms.

Turrids may be found on and within soft or hard substrates from shallow water to water thousands of meters deep. They are found globally in tropical, temperate, and polar seas. Because of the wide range and variation within these shells, Turrids have been reclassified on numerous occasions being assigned and reassigned to different Families. At one point there were over two thousand members of the Pseudomelatomidae Family; this has now been narrowed considerably, primarily on the basis of genetics and there are now five hundred and eighty five species in the Pseudomelatomidae Family of which more than fifty are found in coastal waters of Baja.