Aliger gigas is an economically important and vulnerable marine species. We present a new mitogenome of A. gigas from the Mexican Caribbean and use the eight publicly available Strombidae mitogenomes to analyze intra- and interspecific variation. We present the most complete phylogenomic understanding of Hypsogastropoda to date (17 superfamilies, 39 families, 85 genera, 109 species) to revisit the phylogenetic position of the Stromboidea and evaluate divergence times throughout the phylogeny. The A. gigas mitogenome comprises 15,460 bp including 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. Nucleotide diversity suggested divergence between the Mexican and Colombian lineages of A. gigas. Interspecific divergence showed high differentiation among Strombidae species and demonstrated a close relationship between A. gigas and Strombus pugilis, between Lambis lambis and Harpago chiragra, and among Tridentarius dentatus/Laevistrombus canarium/Ministrombus variabilis. At the intraspecific level, the gene showing the highest differentiation is ATP8 and the lowest is NAD4L, whereas at the interspecific level the NAD genes show the highest variation and the COX genes the lowest. Phylogenomic analyses confirm that Stromboidea belongs in the non-Latrogastropoda clade and includes Xenophoridea. The phylogenomic position of other superfamilies, including those of previously uncertain affiliation, is also discussed. Finally, our data indicated that Stromboidea diverged into two principal clades in the early Cretaceous while Strombidae diversified in the Paleocene, and lineage diversification within A. gigas took place in the Pleistocene.

Estimating the age and growth of long-lived desert succulents is challenging due to the absence of annual growth rings. This study utilizes Single-Image Photogrammetry (SIP) and a historical photograph taken by G. Sykes in 1965 and two replicated photographs obtained in 2016 and 2025 to analyze architectural changes over six decades in an iconic “Boojum tree” (Fouquieria columnaris) and an adjacent columnar cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) from a relictual population in Sonora, Mexico. Results indicate that F. columnaris exhibited a slow but steady vertical growth rate of 1.71 cm yr-1 which accelerated after 2016 (3 cm yr-1). This acceleration aligned with values recorded at more favorable sites (i.e. 3.3 to 3.6 cm yr-1). Conversely, P. pringlei exhibited a minimal growth rate (1.01 cm yr-1), which is much lower than rates reported from repeat photography (5-10 cm yr-1) or radiocarbon dating of spines (3-23 cm yr-1). Together, these species demonstrate high ecological resilience near their physiological limits in the Sonoran Desert through divergent morphofunctional pathways. F. columnaris favors architectural stability and sustained growth, whereas P. pringlei relies on mechanical robustness and structural redundancy. These findings highlight the efficacy of SIP and historical records for long-term demographic monitoring in extreme arid environments