Fasciolaria haleyi

Shell large for genus, averaging145 mm in length as adults, thick and heavy, broadly fusiform and ovate, with high elevated spire; body whorl greatly inflated, rotund, with distinctly angled shoulder.

Spire whorls with more prominently-angled shoulders, becoming more obviously acute on earlier whorls; protoconch rounded and dome-like, orange-brown or reddish-brown in color, with post nuclear and early whorls being ornamented with 10-12 low, elongated ribs; ribs of early whorls crossed by 5 thin spiral cords, producing faint cancellate appearance.

Siphonal canal proportionally short and stubby, only two-third length of spire; body whorl smooth and polished, without raised cords; siphonal canal ornamented with 12-15 large, prominent, rounded cords; sutures of spire whorls indented and minutely canaliculate; subsutural area of body whorl and spire whorls distinctly sloping, producing widea dherent band or subsutural collar; entire subsutural band sculpted with 3 shallowly-incised spiral grooves.

Shell base color white or white with pale blue infusions, overlaid with 3wide bands of amorphous and widely-scattered patches of dark brown, reddish-brown, or bright orange-red; color patches, in turn, overlaid with 20-25 thin, evenly-separated dark chocolate-brown spiral bands; smaller, thinner subsidiary bands sometimes present between pair of primary bands; dark bands variable in thickness, being thicker in some areas and thinner in other sand often breaking apart to form elongated dashes; dark bands terminating in small denticals at edge of lip forming serrated appearance; siphonal canal dark red or brown, overlaid with white cords; aperture wide and flaring, broadly oval, corresponding to inflated body whorl; columella pale orange in color, with 2 large, prominent recurved plicae.

Interior of aperture color varying from white to paleo range; inner edge of lip ornamented with numerous very fine, thread-like ridges.

-“A New Fasciolaria (Fasciolariidae: Fasciolariinae) from theYucatan Peninsula of Mexico”, David P. Berschauer 1and Edward J. Petuch-