Shell of the Week: The Shiny Auger

Hastula augers have bullet-shaped shells with a pointed apex. The Shiny Auger, Hastula hastata (Gmelin, 1791), has a glossy shell surface associated with a sculpture of relatively faint axial (“vertical”) ribs. Augers are found in the sand close to the water edge, in medium- to coarse-sand habitats, where they feed on marine worms.

The Shiny Auger, Hastula hastata, from Big Pine Key, Florida Keys. Photos by James F. Kelly.