Holotype: ANSP 412178. Figure 11D; length = 15.4 mm, width = 13.1 mm, height = 5.7 mm.

Paratypes: ANSP 412179 (two animals from the type locality).

Type locality: Isla Parida, Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama. 8∞5.458¢N, 82∞18.671¢W

Other live material from type locality: Isla Parida, Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama; FMNH 306483.

Diagnosis: B. urraca can be distinguished from other species of Bostrycapulus by a combination of the following. It has a large globose protoconch and direct development that retains most of the larval features. Diagnostic DNA sequence differences distinguishing B. urraca from all other Bostrycapulus species are in the following positions in the COI sequences submitted to GenBank (position 1 = position 1537 of the D. yakuba mitochondrial genome, GenBank # X03240): 261 (t), 285 (g), 309 (g), 375 (t), 474 (c), 495 (a), 588 (t).

Distribution: material whose identity has be verified as B. urraca has been collected in Panama from the Gulf of Chiriqui, Isla Coiba, the Azuero Peninsula, and the Perlas Archipelago. In El Salvador it has been collected from the Gulf of Fonseca. This species occurs from the intertidal zone to at least 50 m and can occur in densities up to several hundred per square meter in the intertidal zone.

Description: shell morphology and anatomy are the same as B. aculeatus. Although B. urraca often has more distinct spination than the other species of Bostrycapulus, sequences of particularly spiny and smooth animals from the Gulf of Chiriqui and Bay of Panama showed that this is intraspecific variation and cannot be used to distinguish between these two species. This species has direct development from eggs with a diameter of 360 Mm (SD = 7.2; N = 57) and with a hatching size of 888 Mm (SD = 70, N = 75). The embryos develop and coiled shell, an operculum and paired embryonic kidneys (Fig. 7). The velum is limited to a ring of ciliated cells around the head and does not have a well-defined food-groove (Fig. 7).

Etymology: The species name urraca is a noun in apposition. The name honours the R / V Urraca, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s research vessel, which was used to collect samples of this species. Urraca was the name of a Guaymi chief who fought bravely against the Spanish in Panama.