Hi Peggy:
I too got a chance to see this 12 years ago... quite a site!
They come up near the back sides of several of the cays every year at the same
time. This occurrence is seen from Ambergris Caye, heading south to Caye
Caulker (Corker), Caye Chapel, and down to just north of Belize City at Drowned
Caye.

I've not heard of this event further south past the cape at Belize City.
Perhaps it is as far south as Dangria?  The rest of the coast lacks the
protected bay from the barrier reef island system, whereas the islands become
quite small and progressive dispersed. I don't know the species range.
Although strictly speculative, on shear species volume it may indicate that
this could be H. messorius’ home grounds.

I know H. messorius ranges from Florida to Columbia & Venezuela, but no where
have I ever heard of the quantity that you find in the Bay/Lagoon system in
upper Belize

I have found it in the Bay Islands of Honduras in dredge spoil, but none live.
They are found up near the Honduran mainland at least as far south as Punta
Patuca (Vokes 1988).  Perhaps Emilio García has collected them there and knows
the range and abundance.

Vokes & Vokes 1983 - Dist of Shallow Water Marine Mollusca of the Yucatan
Peninsula, Does not list this species, additionally the publication’s coverage
ends north of Ambergris Caye at the Belize/ Mexico border.  I will note that as
you travel north form Ambergris Caye the back bay becomes considerably more
estuarine which could account for a non-occurrence immediately to the north.

Ponder & Vokes 1988 – Revision of the Indo-west Pac. Fossil & Recent Sp. of
Murex s.s. & Haustellum

See ya at COA!

Leslie Allen Crnkovic
HARF/IMCS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was in Belize last month and we were privileged to watch Haustellum messorius
laying eggs in a communal clump. I got a (rather poor) photo with someone's
throwaway underwater camera. This was in San Pedro Lagoon in about four feet of
water. There were several murex in the area, some heading for the clump and
some away (finished?). Some were moving very actively. The clump was about 8"
across at that time and there were about six animals still  laying. It was
loose in a depression in the sand.

Peggy