Marine Life · Whelks

Variable burnupena (Burnupena lagenaria)

fockfish
Variable burnupena outgrown by a slipper limpet. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2022).

Shell is shorter (spire less than half the aperture length) and often has wavy dark flames.
The commonest species on the South-East coast, where it has obvious coarse spiral ridges and its aperture is violet-brown, or yellow. On the West coast, it has an even shorter spire, only a trace of spiral ridges and a deep-purple aperture.

About 40 mm.

Lays scale-like eggs capsules in domed clusters.

Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa (1994, 2016)
Details of the violet-brown aperture and the coarse ridges of the variable burnupena. Port Alfred, Eastern Cape (2022).
Unknown's avatar

Published by fockfish

3 thoughts on “Variable burnupena (Burnupena lagenaria)”

  1. Pingback: Spiny starfish (Marthasterias africana) – F*CK FISH
  2. Pingback: Common sand hermit crab (Diogenes brevirostris) – F*CK FISH
  3. Pingback: Yellow-banded hermit crab (Clibanarius virescens) – F*CK FISH

Leave a comment