Straw-colored Tellin Shell, Tampaella straminea

 Straw-colored Tellin Shell, Tampaella straminea. Shell collected from the beach in the greater San Diego area, San Diego California, February 2014. Size: 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) x 1.7 cm (0.7 inches). Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Straw-colored Tellin, Tampaella straminea (Deshayes, 1855), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Tellinidae Family of Tellins. The shells are thin and only somewhat inflated with a rounded triangle profile with the posterior end being more broadly rounded than the anterior. The exterior is marked with fine, concentric lines. They are white to light-tan in color and slightly iridescent. The Straw-colored Tellin shells reach a maximum of 2.1 cm (0.8 inches) in length and 1.9 cm (0.7 inches) in height.

Straw-colored Tellins are found over and within sand substrate in the intertidal zone and their depth range has not been fully documented. They range from San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja California Sur to Ecuador. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Tellina straminea and Tellina suffusa.