- José H. Leal
The Rusty Dove Snail
The Rusty Dove Snail, Columbella rusticoides Heilprin, 1886, is not a common shell in the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva. Still, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum collection houses about eight lots of the species from our barrier islands, collected between 1958 and 1967. The Rusty Dove Snail has the outer edge of the shell opening (the external lip) lined with tiny “teeth” (denticles), and the interspaces between the “teeth” are of darker color. The Rusty Dove Snail belongs in the family Columbellidae, which are usually carnivores or scavengers, with some species feeding on algae. They live in sea grass flats and a few in coral reef areas.
The Rusty Dove Snail, Columbella rusticoides Heilprin, 1886.