The Variable Cerith, Cerithium lutosum Menke, 1828, is most likely the rarest of the local shallow-water ceriths (family Cerithiidae). At 13 mm (about 0.5 inch), it may also be the smallest local member of the family. The shell is adorned with a nodulose sculpture, with an oval aperture with poorly defined anterior and posterior canals. The color is very variable, usually brown, dark-brown, blackish, or mottled with white flecks. The aperture white inside. The shell illustrated is one of two found in December 2016 at Turner Beach (Blind Pass), Captiva, by Susan J. Hewitt and Steve Rosenthal.
The Variable Cerith, Cerithium lutosum, from Blind Pass, Sanibel, photos by José H. Leal.