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Updated 1/5/2025

Family Terebridae

Augers

Augers are related to cone shells and turrids, a group that uses a harpoon-like radular tooth to inject venom to capture worms.  Their slender  shells are designed for plowing through sand leaving a trail behind them.  A few prefer drifting up-and-down sloping beaches with the surf while hunting, quickly burying between waves at the water's edge.  Most prefer clean sand adjacent to the reef.  Most species occur at deeper scuba depths.  Horn Shells differ from augers in having a recurved siphonal canal and herbivorous diet.

Note: Species are grouped here according to appearance for easier comparison.  I have elected to keep parent genus Terebra instead of the current (and confusing for the layperson) splitters' trend of elevating subgenera to genus.  Here subgenera are indicated within parentheses.

 

HAWAII - ENDEMIC

Terebra (Oxymeris) gouldi

GOULD'S AUGER 

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) suffusa

HAWAIIAN CAT AUGER 

 
Terebra incomparabilis

HAWAIIAN DARK-SPOTTED AUGER

 

 Terebra nodularis 

NODULAR AUGER
Hastula tiedemani 

TIEDEMAN'S AUGER   

 

 Hastula medipacifica 

HAWAIIAN WHITE-BANDED AUGER

 
Terebra (Punctoterebra) plumbea

ADJOINED AUGER 

 

 Terebra (Myurella) peasii

PEASE'S AUGER 

   

INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII

Terebra (Myurella) affinis

RELATED AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) cerithina

CERITH-LIKE AUGER

 

Terebra (Myurellopsis) columellaris

COLUMNAR AUGER

 

Terebra (Myurella) nebulosa

CLOUDED AUGER

 
Terebra (Myurella) flavofasciata

YELLOW-BANDED AUGER

 

 Terebra (Myurellopsis) undulata

UNDULATED AUGER

 
Terebra (Myurellopsis) paucistriata

LIGHTLY- STRIATED AUGER

 

 Terebra (Myurellopsis) kilburni

KILBURN'S AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) chlorata

PINK-SPOTTED AUGER

 

 Terebra (Oxymeris) maculata

Terebra maculata, Oahu

MARLINSPIKE AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) felina

CAT AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) areolata

DARK-SPOTTED AUGER

 
Terebra guttata

SPOTTED AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) dimidiata

ORANGE AUGER

 
Terebra argus

EYED AUGER

 

 Hastula hectica

HECTIC AUGER

 

Terebra (Oxymeris) crenulata

CRENULATED AUGER

 

 Terebra (Myurella) pygmaea

PYGMY AUGER
Terebra funiculata

CORDED AUGER

 

 Terebra archimedes

ARCHIMEDES' AUGER

 
Terebra amanda

AMANDA'S AUGER

 

 Terebra babylonia

BABYLONIAN AUGER

 
Hastula solida

Hastula solida, Oahu

SOLID AUGER

Hastula inconstans

INCONSTANT AUGER

 
Hastula penicillata

PENCIL-LINED AUGER

 

 Hastula lanceata

LANCE AUGER
Hastula strigilata

PAINTED AUGER

 

 Hastula strigilata f. verreauxi

VERREAUX'S AUGER

 
Hastula lauta

SEA AUGER

 

 Terebra (Punctoterebra) nitida

SHINY AUGER
Terebra (Myurella) cf. amoena

Terebra amoena, Oahu

CHARMING AUGER

 

Terebra (Punctoterebra) swainsoni

SWAINSON'S AUGER