Spotted Dove Shell, Mitrella guttata
Spotted Dove Shell, Mitrella guttata. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, April 2021. Length 1.6 cm (0.6 inches) x 0.7 cm (0.3 inches).
Phylogeny: The Spotted Dove Shell, Mitrella guttata (G.B. Sowerby I, 1832), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Columbellidae Family of Dove Shells. The genus Mitrella is one of seventy-seven genera in this family, and there are two hundred ninety-four species in this genus. They are also known as the Ocelot Dove Shell, the White Spotted Dove Shell, and in Mexico as Columbélida Manchas Blancas.
Description: The Spotted Dove Shell is spindle shaped and consists of about six whorls, though the top whorls are often broken off. The body whorl is large, making up about one-half of the shell’s length. The exterior is smooth and shiny. The exterior is light brown to dark brown with white spots. Often, a dark brown band, with white spots runs along the top of each whorl, sometimes looking more like a row of dark spots on a white background. The aperture is long and narrow. There is a short siphon notch at the top and bottom of the aperture. A row of “teeth” run along the inside edge of the outer lip. The interior is white. Spotted Dove Shells reach 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) in length and 0.8 cm (0.3 inches) in height.
Habitat and Distribution: Spotted Doves are found on and under rocks and large stones. They live intertidally, and to depths up to 30 m (98 feet). They are subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula. Records showing their presence in the Western Atlantic are based on confusion with the Ocelot Dove Shell, Mittrella ocellata.
Ecology and Behavior: Spotted Doves are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in the Columbellidae Family are herbivorous grazers, omnivores, and predatory carnivores. In turn they are preyed upon by shorebirds, crabs, fish, and predatory mollusks. These shells are gonochoric and reproduce sexually with internal fertilization. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formulated. From a conservation perspective the Spotted Dove Shell has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be considered to be of Least Concern.
Synonyms: Columbella guttata and Nitidella guttata.