Tergina Dwarf Olive Shell, Olivella tergina

Tergina Dwarf Olive Shell, Olivella tergina. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, May 2009. Size: 1.7 cm (0.7 inches) x 0.7 cm (0.3 inches).

The Tergina Dwarf Olive, Olivella tergina (Duclos, 1835), is a gastropod mollusk that is a  member of the Olividae Family of Olives. The shell has five whorls, a pointed apex, and an aperture that extends about half the length of the shell and it widens as it approaches the anterior end. The exterior of the shell is smooth and white to gray in color with light to dark brown, angular, markings. The Tergina Dwarf Olive Shells reach a maximum of 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) in length and 0.7 cm (0.3 inches) in height.

Tergina Dwarf Olives reside over and within sand substrate in the intertidal zone. They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru. They are found in the southern extremes of the Sea of Cortez. These shells are found in archaeological sites in California’s Imperial Valley.