The Candystick Tellin, Scissula similis (J. Sowerby, 1806), is a member of the locally (and globally) diverse Tellin family, the Tellinidae. The species may reach a little more than an inch in length, and displays the elliptical, compressed shape typical of the family. The Candystick Tellin lives buried in sandy bottoms. Its shell has a fine sculpture of concentric lines, but what really sets the species apart from its close relatives is its delicate coloration: a whitish or yellowish-white background is superimposed by well-delimited rays of strong pink color. This causes the shell to look like a piece of candy stick.
![The Candystick tellin, Scissula similis, from Sanibel. Photo by José H. Leal.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7f077a_d948942c757d4fc899f06e8afa19a3e8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_123,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/7f077a_d948942c757d4fc899f06e8afa19a3e8~mv2.jpg)
The Candystick Tellin, Scissula similis, from Sanibel. Photo by José H. Leal.