Cone Shell ID need help quick

[kaley1797]

I'm pretty sure this is a cone snail shell but I have no clue what species it is. It was found in Coronado, CA. It has little spikes along the spiral. I though at first it was a juvenile geographic cone snail but that was just a wild guess. Please help! I need this for Monday May 19.

[paul monfils]

Hi.  Not a cone shell, but a volute.  This is Cymbiola vespertilio, the "bat volute", from the Indo-Pacific region. This is an extremely variable species, in color, pattern, and shape. It is also the commonest volute species. You can see a few of the many variations here: http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_7.shtml

[kaley1797]

Hi.  Not a cone shell, but a volute.  This is Cymbiola vespertilio, the "bat volute", from the Indo-Pacific region.  This is an extremely variable species, in color, pattern, and shape.  It is also the commonest volute species.  You can see a few of the many variations here: http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_7.shtml

Thanks so much! Do you think it could have just washed up on Coronado Beach in such good condition or could it actually live here?

[paul monfils]

This could not have been alive in your locality.  It lives on the other side of the Pacific.  Many tons of them are harvested yearly by countries in that part of the world, especially the Philippines.  For that reason the shells can be purchased in bulk, very inexpensively.  That fact, plus the fact that it is quite an attractive species, makes it a popular item for craftwork, tourist shops, etc.  Many coastal cities have such shops, where baskets of assorted shells are sold, and often individual shells can be hand-picked from bins.  You will find this species in just about every shell basket sold in such shops. I have even seen such baskets for sale in places like Wallmart. That is the most likely source of the specimen you found.

Quite a few times people have posted pictures of shells on this forum that they found on the beach in areas where the species does not occur naturally.  Tourist shops are likely the source of most of them. The post three down from yours is another example of a foreign shell found far from home.