Mottled Auger Shell, Neoterebra intertincta
Mottled Auger Shell, Neoterebra intertincta. Shell collected off the beach of Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, November 2025. Size: 3.9 cm (1.5 inches) x 1.0 cm (0.4 inches). Photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.
Phylogeny: The Mottled Auger, Neoterebra intertincta (Hinds, 1844), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Terebridae Family of Auger Shells. The Neoterebra Genus is one of nineteen genera in the Terebridae Family, and there are eighty-six species in the Neoterebra Genus.
Description: The Mottled Auger Shell is characterized by having around a dozen flat-sided to concave whorls. These shells are sculpted with spiral grooves and axial ribs. The ribs form nodes where they cross the sutures. The aperture is quadrate, and the columella (inner lip) is less recurved than other similar species. The columella has one fold. The exterior of the shell may be pinkish, blue-grayish, or grayish in color. The nodes are whitish and are separated by brown spots or specks. Variegated Auger Shells reach a maximum of 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) in length.
Habitat and Distribution: Mottled Augers live in sand or muddy sand substrates and are found in the intertidal zone and at depths up to 41 m (134 feet). They are a 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 Ensenada El Soldado, Sonora, in the Sea of Cortez and the west coast of the Baja Peninsula.
Ecology and Behavior: Mottled Augers are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in the Terebridae Family are predators that feed primarily on polychaeta worms. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in protective capsules. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Mottled Auger 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: Myurella hindsii, Terebra hindsii, Terebra intertincta, and Terebra rufocinera.
| Neoterebra intertincta |
| S215 |
| Neoterebra veriegata o N. intertinca |
| Family Terebridae |
| a. 39mm x 10mm |