Picta Turrid, Polystira picta

Picta Turrid, Polystira picta. Size: 4.8 cm (1.9 inches) x 1.4 cm (0.4 inches).

The Picta Turrid, Polystira picta (Reeve, 1843), is a member of the Turridae Family of Turrid Shells. The shells consist of seven or eight angled whorls and are high spired, with a long open siphonal canal and a narrow aperture. The exterior is sculpted with coarse and fine spiral ridges that continue to the outer lip giving the lip a zigzag appearance. The exterior of the shell is white and varying amounts of brown specks or blotches that on some shells form stripes or chevrons; the interior is white. Picta Turrids Shells reach a maximum length of 5.7 cm (2.2 inches).

Picta Turrids are found in muddy sand environments in at depths between 65 and 260 feet. They are similar to the Noble Giant Turrid, Polystira nobilis, which has a wider body. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez, and range south to Columbia; they have not been documented from the West Coast of Baja.

A synonym is Pleurotoma picta.