Gastropods

Click on photo to enlarge. Scale line in photo equals 1cm unless otherwise specified.
* Species which are commonly encountered on the beach.

Tegulidae

Whiskey Creek Beach, WA Neah Bay, WA, intertidal

Tegula funebralis (A.Adams, 1855)
Black Turban *
intertidal to subtidal northern Mexico to northern BC size to 45mm
This is fairly commonly found along beaches exposed to open waters. The shell is black and generally has
an eroded top. Even the visible part of the animal is mostly black. It is hard to confuse with any other species.
(synonym - Chlorostoma funebralis)

Turbinidae

Port Hardy, BC Barkley Sound, BC, subtidal

Pomaulax gibberosus (Dillwyn, 1817)
Red Turban
intertidal to 80m northern Mexico to southern Alaska size to 11cm
This is infrequently found intertidally. It is a heavy shell with strong spiral cords and cannot be confused with any other northwest species. The shell may be light brown to dark reddish-brown.
(previous names - Astraea gibberosa, Lithopoma gibberosa, Trochus gibberosus;
synonyms - Astraea inequalis, Astraea montereyensis)

Trochidae

Freshwater Bay, WA
Lirularia lirulata (Carpenter, 1864)
Pearly Topsnail
intertidal to shallow subtidal size to 8mm
northern Mexico to southern Alaska
This tiny species is infrequently seen and
can be hard to identify due to its size. It usually
exhibits a tall spire for its size and may have
brown markings. It has spiral ridges and the
umbilicus is a tiny slit.
(previous name - Margarites lirulata)

Slip Point, WA Neah Bay, WA, intertidal

Lirularia succincta (Carpenter, 1864)
Tucked Topsnail
intertidal to shallow subtidal size to 8mm
northern Mexico to central Alaska
This tiny species is occasionally but can be hard to identify due to
its size. It has shallow spiral ridges and a flatter spire compared to
L. lirulata. The umbilicus is more funnel-shaped.
(previous names - Margarites succinctus, Gibbula succincta)

Slip Point, WA Sitka, AK Salt Creek Recreation Area, WA, subtidal

Tegula pulligo (Gmelin, 1791)
Dusky Turban
intertidal to 3m northern Mexico to southern Alaska size to 50mm
This is occasionally found along beaches exposed to open waters. It is usually covered in overgrowths which hides the brown coloration. It is hard to
confuse with another species north of Oregon. But to the south, a young specimen might look similar to the Brown Turban, Chlorostoma brunnea. Young specimens may be patterned.
(previous names - Trochus pulligo)

Family Tegulidae, Trochidae

& Turbinidae