Taxonomy

Rarity

Abundance rates how many are in suitable habitat. Find difficulty rates how hard it is to locate one on a daylight snorkel or freedive through 50 ft. A higher find score means a harder search. The rarity category also reflects the kind of encounter; it is not an average of the 2 scores.

Seasonality

Location

Gould's bubble snail ranges from Morro Bay in Central California to Ecuador. It lives on mud and sand in bays, estuaries where rivers meet the sea, and protected parts of the open coast, in shallow water to about 33 feet. Divers have also photographed it on open sand at La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Canyon. A Sea Slug Forum header lists Alaska, but its own text starts the range at Morro Bay. A Sea Slug Forum photo shows one at about 33 feet at Vallecitos Wall off La Jolla Shores.

Deep Dive

The thin, rounded shell is the snail's signature, and it reaches about 2.2 inches. It is semi-transparent, brown or pale violet with a distinctive pattern. The living body is yellowish brown with mottled pale dots.

Its closest relatives eat green algae, and this one is most active at night and spends the day buried in sand or mud.

Its egg mass is a string packed with capsules that each hold up to 25 eggs. The species is named for biologist Augustus Addison Gould.

Where to Find Them

Researched habitat and range candidates

These locations have suitable habitat within the species range. An assignment is a possible encounter, not a confirmed sighting at every beach. Season, depth, and local conditions still matter. Historical habitat without present-day evidence is excluded.