DSC_7682 Red-mouthed whelk (Cominella virgata virgata) shell similar but taller than spotted whelk. On underside the columella is orange red and the operculum is horny and black. Found beneath rocks and stones on corallina, and Hormosera flats in tide pools in sheltered to exposed localities. Goat Island Marine Reserve, Leigh *
DSC_7685 Red-mouthed whelk (Cominella virgata virgata) shell similar but taller than spotted whelk. On underside the columella is orange red and the operculum is horny and black. Found beneath rocks and stones on corallina, and Hormosera flats in tide pools in sheltered to exposed localities. Goat Island Marine Reserve, Leigh
DSC_3331 Red-mouthed whelk (Cominella virgata virgata) laying eggs. Shell is similar but taller than spotted whelk. On underside the columella is orange red and the operculum is horny and black. Found beneath rocks and stones on corallina, and Hormosera flats in tide pools in sheltered to exposed localities. Tokerau Beach, Karikari Peninsula *
