Tellin-like Sanguin Shell, Sanguinolaria tellinoides 

Tellin-like Sanguin Shell, Sanguinolaria tellinoides. Size: 6.2 cm (2.4 inches) x 3.9 cm (1.5 inches). Shell collected from the beach in the greater San Diego area, San Diego California, February 2014. Collection, photograph, and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Tellin-like Sanguin, Sanguinolaria tellinoides (A. Adams 1850), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Psammobiliidae Family of Sunset Clams. The shells are thin, to the point of being translucent, with an oval profile. Both valves are equal in size and shape with slightly inflated values, a low beak. The anterior of the shell is broadly rounded and the posterior is narrower and elongated. The exterior is sculpted with very fine concentric ridges. The exterior of the shell is pink, rose, or purple in color and some have white blotches; the interior is often a darker, reddish purple. The shell has a shiny finish, inside and out. The Tellin-like Sanguin shell reach a maximum 7.5 cm (3.0 inches) in length and 4.7 cm (1.9 inches) in height.

Tellin-like Sanguins reside buried in sand substrate in the intertidal zone to depths up to 12 m (40 feet). They range from Todos Santos, Baja Califonia Sur to Ecuador and are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonmyms include Sanguinolaria purpurea, Sanguinolaria tellinoides elongata, and Tellina miniate.