Despite its name, the Tellin Semele is not a tellin, but is instead a semelid, like the clam presented last week, the Concentric Ervilia. Cumingia tellinoides (Conrad, 1831) reaches 15 mm (about 0.6 inch.) The prevailing color in this species is a dirty-white, but some shells may be slightly translucent. The shell sculpture consists of fine but well-defined growth lines, and the hinge consists basically of elongate lateral teeth and an internal ligament that rests inside a spoon-shaped chondrophore.
The Tellin Semele, Cumingia tellinoides, from Sanibel. Photos by José H. Leal.
#cumingiatellinoides #semelidae #chondrophore #hinge #tellinsemele
