Zebra Auger Shell, Oxymeris strigata

Zebra Auger Shell, Oxymeris strigata. Shell collected from the beaches of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2008. Size: 10.8 cm (4.3 inches) x 2.4 cm (0.9 inches).  Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Zebra Auger, Oxymeris strigata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1825), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Terebridae Family of Augers. The shell is solidly built and stout, that consist of twelve to fifteen fairly flat-sided whorls. The spiral sutures, between whorls, are the only noticeable sculpting. The aperture is elongate and the siphon canal is short. The exterior of the shell may be white to yellowish brown in color, with chestnut or dark brown, wavy, lengthwise, stripes; the interior color matches the exterior. The shell photographed below was collected dead, and unfortunately, a dark coating covers the usual beautiful coloration. The Zebra Auger Shells reach a maximum of 16.4 cm (6.5 inches) and 3.6 cm (1.4 inches) in height.

Zebra Augers reside within sand substrate in the intertidal zone to depths up to 55 m (180 feet). They are found in the southern half of the Sea of Cortez to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands.

Synonyms are Acus strigata, Bucinnum elongatum, Terebra flammea, Terebra strigata, and Terebra zebra.