Tent Olive Shell, Oliva porphyria

Tent Olive Shell, Oliva porphyria. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California, May 2015. Size: 7.7 cm (3.0 inches) x 3.7 cm (1.5 inches).

Tent Olive Shell, Oliva porphyria. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, June 2022. Size: 10.3 cm (4.1 inches) x 4.1 cm (1.6 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Phylogeny: The Tent Olive Shell, Oliva porphyria (Linnaeus, 1758), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Olividae Family of Olive Shells. The genus Oliva is one of eleven genera in this family, and there are one hundred and twenty species in this genus. They are also known as the Camp Olive Shell and in Mexico as Oliva Veteada. The common name is derived from their tent-shaped chevrons.

Description: Tent Olive Shells are large and consist of six whorls. They have a concave to straight-sided,  sharply pointed, spire. The inside lip of the aperture is sculpted with fine grooves. The exterior of the shell is very shiny and is pale pink, lavender or white in color with brown zigzags or chevrons. In some specimens, the brown chevrons run together, forming blotches. The interior is light orange, tan, or white. Tent Olive Shells are the largest Olive in the region reaching a maximum of 13.5 cm (5.3 inches) in length and 5.4 cm (2.1 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Tent Olives are found on sand at depths between 15 m (50 feet) and 30 m (100 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula and from north of Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California, in the Sea of Cortez.

Ecology and Behavior:  Tent Olives are predatory carnivores that feed primarily on gastropods, including other olive shells. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually with internal fertilization. The eggs are laid in protective capsules. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formulated. From a conservation perspective the Tent Olive has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be considered to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Oliva (Porphyria) porphyria, Oliva panamensis, Oliva porphyracea, and Voluta porphyria.