Dear Leslie,

There may well be no problem consolidating
Olivella pusilla. However, I see no evidence for
it in the western/southern Gulf of Mexico using
Andrews or Vokes and Vokes. Nonetheless, it probably occurs in TX.

The one other species to which you refer may well
be one for which I have not found a name. This
latter taxon is depicted in both these works
without a correct identification (see below), and
it occurs in our neck of the woods:

Olivella species  9 mm; over 500 shells from 11 stations
Our most common Dwarf Olive. Voucher specimen at
FLMNH (UF 251048). The teleoconch grows
posteriorly around the last whorl of the
elongate, slender protoconch, which thereby has
the appearance of being “telescoped” into the
rest of the shell. Has a consistent narrow,
golden-brown band subsuturally. Usually pale with
variable irregular brown lines. The posterior
reflection of the parietal callus does not reach
the suture. As with a few congeners, this species
has allometric growth with a longer spire and
more slender profile as the shell enlarges. A
similar form (? subspecies) is equally abundant
in the Gulf of Mexico. Along with Olivella sp.
aff. floralia, these three taxa are misidentified
as O. floralia (Duclos, 1853) by many authors (e.
g. Perry and Schwengel, 1955, Lyons, 1989). This
species is also described and illustrated by
Andrews (1971, pp. 118-119) as “O. dealbata
(Reeve, 1850)” from Texas. Also NC, SC (HL). The
Pliocene O. prefloralia Olsson and Harbison, 1953
may be this species. Fine color illustration of
Lee Co. specimen in Gundersen [1998; as “O.
floralia” non (Duclos, 1853)]. Like O. mutica
(no. 562), swims using ample winglike extensions
of its foot called metapodia (BF, per. obs.,
5/12/01).  Seems to prefer muddy substrates
whereas O. mutica is associated with sandy ones (BF, pers. obs.).

As best I can tell, Odé, who did a very
creditable job as a rule, never got around to
monographing the Olivella of the big state.

What Texas book?

I think Mario (AKA Marlo when he's not in the
game parlor) may have encountered this second
species on more than one occasion.

Harry

Andrews, J., 1971.  Sea shells of the Texas
coast. Univ. Texas, Austin, xvii + pp. 3-298
incl. numerous text figs. [p. 118 as Olivella dealbata authors not of (Reeve)]

Vokes, H. E. and E. H. Vokes, 1983
[1984].  Distribution of shallow-water marine
Mollusca, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Mesoamerican
Ecological Institute, Monograph 1, Middle
American Research Institute, Publication 54:
i-viii + 1-183 incl. 50 pls. [pl. 17, fig. 9 as
Olivella dealbata authors not of (Reeve)].


At 09:33 PM 12/13/2006, you wrote:
>Hello Harry & Mario
>
>Here in Texas, we have been finding one of the
>Olivella's quite commonly at the
>mouth of the Brazos River on the south side of the Jetties (Freeport/Quintana,
>Texas).  This is just an hour south of Galveston ... I have also found it and
>what appears to be another O. species down in South Texas at South Padre/Boca
>Chica/Port Isabelle.
>
>There as been consistent disagreement on the species ID for both of them.  It
>would be nice to resolve it before the new Texas book comes out.  Harry, are
>you willing to take a crack at it?
>
>Leslie
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: "Harry G. Lee" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:42:16 -0500
>Subject: Re: Olivella pusilla
>
>Dear Marlo,
>Here are some of my notes on the Tiny Dwarf Olivella:
>
>Olivella pusilla  (Marrat, 1871)  Tiny Dwarf Olive [5]  8.5 mm.
>Intertidal flats, N. Davis Shores, St. Augustine. FC! 8/77. (FC).
>Intertidal flats, N. Davis Shores, St. Augustine. FC! 7/3/78. (FC,HL).
>O. mutica and O. pusilla are closely related and variable species. Certain
>color forms create an uncanny interspecific
>resemblance, but O. pusilla usually
>has a darker brown tint to the columella and
>inner aperture. Furthermore, it is
>smaller, more slender, less callused at the shoulder, has a less denticulate
>posterior columella, smaller protoconch, and different egg capsule morphology
>(Perry and Schwengel, 1955; Payne, 1962). Rather scarce in E. FL, [St. Lucie
>and Palm Beach Cos. (HL)], but abundant and widespread the state’s Gulf coast.
>Sinistral specimen from Port St. Joe, FL. (HL).
>
>As you can see, this species has not been found in northeast Florida since the
>late Fred Chauvin (FC) collected it in the 1970's. Fred was a very keen and
>careful collector. My St. Lucie Co. record is based on a specimen collected by
>L. R. Zylman intertidally at St. Lucie Inlet in 7/87.
>
>In the Historical Era, St. Augustine has been host to an occasional northern
>straggler. The eminent C. W. Johnson (1890;
>1919) reported finding the tropical
>species Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758 (Bleeding-tooth Nerite) and N.
>versicolor Gmelin, 1791 there during the 1880’s and in 1919, but we know of
>know of no subsequent records despite Fred Chauvin's yeoman work. It is
>possible that the latter is a misidentification of N. fulgurans, which lives
>close by today, but there is no mistaking the Bleeding-tooth Nerite. Henry
>Russell (1941) reported N. tessellata Gmelin, 1791 from Jacksonville, but that
>record must be viewed with skepticism.
>
>Harry

>From: marlo <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:51:15 -0500
>Subject: Olivella pusilla
>
>Abbott places O. pusilla in "Florida."  Gunther H. W. Sterba in his
>"Olividae A Collector's Guide"  describes O. pusilla as "The most abundant
>species of Olivella in Florida according to Olsson, 1956."  I have indeed
>found O. pusilla to be one of the most abundant in Florida, but not found
>recently in NE Florida.  So, I'm seeking first-hand records of any finds of
>live O. pusilla in NE to mid-eastern Florida in the last 10-15 years.
>Has anyone found live O. pusilla north of Palm Beach recently?
>Click here
>< http://z14.invisionfree.com/Conchologist_Forum/index.php?showtopic=409> to
>see images of O. pusilla on my website.
>Marlo
>Merritt Island, FL

Harry G. Lee, M. D.
4132 Ortega Forest Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32210 USA
voice (904) 389 4049
email: [log in to unmask]
look at www.jaxshells.org

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