Blackberry Drupe Shell, Claremontiella nodulosa

Blackberry Drupe Shell, Claremontiella nodulosa. Size: 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.0 cm (0.4 inches). Shell collected from within the estuary of the Magdalena Bay complex, Baja California Sur, October 2018. Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Phylogeny: The Blackberry Drupe, Claremontiella nodulosa (C. B. Adams, 1845), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rock Shells. The genus Claremontiella is one of one hundred ninety-eight genera in this family, and there are four species in this genus. This is a relatively new genus, created in 2019, and named after the researcher Martine Claremont. They are known in Mexico as Drupa de la Mora.

Description: Blackberry Drupe Shells are slender and have seven whorls. They have a high spire and an elongated aperture. The exterior of the shell is covered with nodes. The outside of the shell varies in color from white to dark gray or black, with varying amounts of brown blotches. The interior is white with blueish and brown markings. The Blackberry Drupe reaches a maximum of 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) in length and 1.3 cm (0.5 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Blackberry Drupes are found on, and under, rocks in the intertidal zone and to depths up to 3 m (10 feet). They are a tropical Western Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific species. They 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.

Ecology and Behavior: Blackberry Drupes are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in the Muricidae Family are predators that feed primarily on shelled invertebrates, and are preyed upon by sea stars, crabs, and fish. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Blackberry Drupe 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: Drupa nodulosa, Evokesia ferruginosa, Morula (Morula) nodulosa, Morula ferruginosa, Morula nodulosa, Pascula ferruginosa, Purpura nodulosa, Ricinula ferruginosa, Ricinula nodulosa, Sistrum nodulosum, and Trachypollia nodulosa.