When I was a kid up in Puget Sound, I once found several specimens of
Nucella lamellosa that were bright purple - a color form not noted in my
shell books (typical color forms are white, brown, ochre and orange; either
solid or banded).  My mother and I called to the University of Washington
and were told that this color form was known and was caused by the source
of food the molluscs were eating.

Unfortunately the bright purple color faded to a dull lavender gray; I wish
I had had a digital camera to capture how vivid they were. They made a big
impression on me.

I remember reading on the website of an abalone mariculture farm that they
were raising "hybrids of green and red abalone," which may indeed have
interesting color forms.  Unfortunately I can't remember the name of this
farm.

Alex
Berkeley, CA

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