New Zealand Seashore

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

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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 7685 Redmouthed whelk Cominella virgata shell columella orange red operculum Goat Island Marine Reserve Leigh