Zaca Tellin, Tellinella zacae

Zaca Tellin Shell, Tellinella zacae. Shell collected off the beach at Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, February 2012. Size: 5.1 cm (2.0 inches) x 2.5 cm (1.0 inch). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins Utah.

Phylogeny: The Zaca Tellin, Tellinellaa zacae (Hertlein & A.M. Strong, 1949), is a member of the Tellinidae Family of Tellin Shells. The genus Tellinella is one of one hundred four genera in this family, and there are thirteen species in this genus. The Zaca Tellin, along with the Zaca Blenny, Malacoctenus zacae, was named after one of the world’s finest yachts, the Zaca (www.zaca.com) which is the subject of extensive myths and legends. In 1946 actor Errol Flynn took the Zaca on a scientific expedition to the Sea of Cortez and coastal Mexican waters. The crew included Carl Hubbs, the then curator of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography fish collection. The trip was a fiasco as all hands, including crew, jumped ship in Acapulco. The Zaca is also featured in the movie The Lady from Shanghai starring Orson Wells and Rita Hayworth and is currently moored in Monte Carlo.

Description: Zaca Tellins have an elongated elliptical outline. The anterior end is longer and rounded. The posterior is obliquely truncate and is sculpted with a deep radial furrow. The exterior surface of the shells is marked with fine commarginal ribs. The exterior is cream colored, with orange to tan radial rays, similar to sun rays. The interior is cream to orangish in color. The known maximum length for this species was 4.4 cm (1.7 inches), with the above photographed specimen extending this maximum to 5.1 cm (2.0 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: Zaca Tellins are found within sand  and mud substrates at depths between 64 m (210 feet ) and 165 m (541 feet ). They are a tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean along the coast of the mainland from Mazatlán, Sonora, south to Guatemala. In the Sea of Cortez they are found from Isla Danzante, Baja California Sur south Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Ecology and Behavior: Zaca Tellins are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in Family Tellinidae are either suspension feeders or deposit feeders that feed primarily on planktonic algae and detritus. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of  commensal, parasitic or symbiotic relationships. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated.

Synonyms: Tellina (Tellina) argis, Tellina (Tellinella) zacae, Tellina argis, Tellina cumingii argis, and Tellina zacae.