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Phylum
Mollusca
Class
Gastropoda
Family Mitridae
Miters
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Miters have a variety of shapes and sculptures and
nearly 500 species are found throughout the world's warmer oceans. Hawaii
has about 85 species, most of which are found in sand in deeper waters.
All miters may be recognized by the narrow aperture and several prominent folds
on the central axis, or columella. Miters are carnivorous, preying upon
worms, sipunculids, and mollusks.
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HAWAII
Subfamily
Mitrinae
Mitra (Mitra) mitra
Atlantis Reef, Waikiki, Oahu, 120 feet
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Atlantis Reef, Waikiki, Oahu, 120 feet |
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EPISCOPAL MITER
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Fairly common in sand at scuba depths.
Shell is slender and lacks a coronated suture. Last whorl inflated and smooth.
About 6 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific.
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Mitra (Mitra) stictica
PUNCTURED MITER
| Common in sand at any depth.
Shell coronated and encircled by deep pits. Last whorl constricted.
About 3 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Mitra) papalis
PAPAL MITER
| Common in sand at scuba depths.
Shell coronated and encircled by shallow pits on
earlier whorls. Last whorl inflated. About 4 inches.
Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Mitra) incompta
| Uncommon under stones at
scuba depths. About 4 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) ferruginea
Kewalo, Oahu, 50 feet
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Kewalo, Oahu, 50 feet |
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RUSTY MITER
| Fairly common under stones at scuba depths.
About 2 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) cucumerina
CUCUMBER MITER
| Very common in dead coral at scuba depths.
About 1/2 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) turgida
TURGID
MITER
| Hawaiian shells are very rare in rubble at scuba depths.
About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) aurora
AURORA MITER
| Uncommon under stones at scuba depths.
About 1 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) coronata
CORONATED
MITER
| Fairly common under rocks at scuba depths.
About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) ticaonica
TICAO
MITER
| Fairly common under rocks in shallow water.
Dark brown including aperture. About 3/4 inch. Hawaii &
the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Mitra) coffea
Kewalo, Oahu, 50 feet
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Kewalo, Oahu, 50 feet
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COFFEE MITER
| Uncommon under stones at any depth.
Dark brown with white flecks and punctured spirals,
aperture brown with denticulate outer lip. About 2 inches.
Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Nebularia) fulvescens
YELLOW-BROWN
MITER
| Uncommon under rocks at scuba depths.
Slender, rusty brown with faint spiral band and spiral
punctures, aperture white with denticulate outer lip. About 1.5 inches.
Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Strigatella)
acuminata
ACUMINATE
MITER
| Rare in Hawaii under rocks at scuba depths.
Golden brown with tapering spire and white aperture
with very thick outer lip. About 1 inch. Hawaii & the
Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Strigatella)
fastigium
| Fairly common on reef benches and tidepools.
Stout, dull brown, smooth, with bluish white aperture,
outer lip thick. About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Strigatella)
litterata
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Makapu'u tidepool, Oahu |
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LETTERED
MITER
| Common on shallow reefs, benches and tidepools.
Feeds upon sipunculids. About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the
indo-Pacific. |
Mitra (Strigatella)
assimilis
RELATED
MITER
| Common on in sand and algal mats on shallow reefs and
tidepools. Feeds upon small mollusks. About 3/4 inch.
Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |
Mitra (Strigatella) pellisserpentis
| Common under rocks on shallow reefs and tidepools.
About 1.5 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Mitra (Strigatella) saltata
| Uncommon in shallow water.
About 3/8 inch. Hawaii & French Polynesia. |

Mitra (Strigatella) typha
| Uncommon under rocks at scuba depths.
About 3/8 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Subfamily
Cylindromitrinae
Pterygia crenulata
| Uncommon in sand at any
depth. About 1.5 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Pterygia
pudica
| Uncomon in sand at scuba depths. About 1/2 inch. Hawaii
& the Tropical Pacific. |

Subfamily
Imbricariinae
Imbricaria conovula
| Uncommon in sand at scuba depths. About 5/8 inch. Base is
purple. |

Imbricaria
olivaeformis
| Abundant in sand at scuba depths. About 5/8 inch. |

Imbricaria
punctata
| Common in sand at scuba depths. About 5/8 inch. Base is
white. |

Cancilla
(Domiporta) carnicolor
| Rare in sand in deep water.
About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Cancilla
(Domiporta) granatina
| Uncommon in sand at scuba depths.
About 2 inches. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |
Neocancilla
papilio langfordiana 
| Uncommon in sand at scuba depths. About 2 inches. Endemic
to Hawaii. |

Scabricola
(Swainsonia)
newcombii 
| Common in sand at scuba depths. About 1.5 inches. Endemic
to Hawaii. |

Subcancilla foveolata

| Common in sand at 100 feet or more. About 1 inch. Endemic
to Hawaii. |

Family Costellariidae
Vexillum (Costellaria) modestum
Sea Tiger Wreck, Oahu, 80 feet
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| Common on sandy reefs at scuba depths. About 3/4
inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) approximatum
| Rare from sand at depths greater than 100 feet. About 1
inch. Hawaii and Polynesia. |

Vexillum (Pusia) cancellarioides
| Common under stones and on rocks in tidepools and shallow water.
About 3/4 inch. Indo-Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) capricornea
| Uncommon at scuba depths. About 1/4 inch. Hawaii, Okinawa,
Australia. |

Vexillum (Pusia) cumingii
| Uncommon at scuba depths. Hawaii & Tropical Pacific.
About 1 inch. |

Vexillum (Pusia) lautum
| Common under stones in shallow water. About 1/2 inch.
Hawaii & Tropical Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) lenhilli
| Common in rubble at 150 feet or more. Hawaii & the
Philippines.
About 1/4 inch. |

Vexillum (Pusia) tusum
| Rare dredged from 300 feet or more. Hawaii & the
Indo-Pacific. About 1/2 inch. |

Vexillum (Pusia) moelleri
| Rare in deep water. About 1 inch. Hawaii & Tropical
Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) microzonias
| Uncommon under stones at any depth, common in beach drift. About 1/2 inch.
Hawaii & the Indo-West Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) rubrum
| Uncommon at scuba depths. About 1/4 inch. Hawaii & the
Indo-Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) tuberosum
| Uncommon at any depth in sand covering hard substrate. About 3/4
inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

Vexillum (Pusia) unifascialis
| Common under stones at scuba depths. Variable color
pattern. .About 3/4 inch. Hawaii & the Indo-Pacific. |

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