Muelly
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Olivella columellaris (G. B. Sowerby I, 1825)
Olivella columellaris is a shell snail from the family Olivellidae, which are known as dwarf olive snails. Members of this family are small, distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. They are carnivores that search for food in the sand.
The olive-shaped shells of dwarf olive snails have a smooth, shiny surface. In contrast to olive snails, dwarf olive snails have neither antennae nor eyes. The operculum that closes the shell opening is horny. They inhabit muddy and sandy soft bottoms.
These snails can be found in large populations in the intertidal zone and on sandy beaches. Dwarf olives are suspension feeders, using unique appendages of the propodium (front part of the foot) to deploy mucus nets that trap suspended particles from the backwash on sandy beaches of the tropical eastern Pacific.
There is a possibility of confusion with the very similar-looking dwarf olive snail Olivella semistriatus, which also occurs in the distribution area. Both species are extremely difficult and usually impossible to distinguish with certainty.
Synonymised names:
Oliva columellaris G. B. Sowerby I, 1825 (original combination)
Olivella columellaris is a shell snail from the family Olivellidae, which are known as dwarf olive snails. Members of this family are small, distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. They are carnivores that search for food in the sand.
The olive-shaped shells of dwarf olive snails have a smooth, shiny surface. In contrast to olive snails, dwarf olive snails have neither antennae nor eyes. The operculum that closes the shell opening is horny. They inhabit muddy and sandy soft bottoms.
These snails can be found in large populations in the intertidal zone and on sandy beaches. Dwarf olives are suspension feeders, using unique appendages of the propodium (front part of the foot) to deploy mucus nets that trap suspended particles from the backwash on sandy beaches of the tropical eastern Pacific.
There is a possibility of confusion with the very similar-looking dwarf olive snail Olivella semistriatus, which also occurs in the distribution area. Both species are extremely difficult and usually impossible to distinguish with certainty.
Synonymised names:
Oliva columellaris G. B. Sowerby I, 1825 (original combination)
