Last week I introduced the Purplish Tagelus, commenting that its characteristic spatula-shaped shell is similar only to that of its sister-species, the Stout Tagelus, Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786). This latter species is a bit larger, reaching in excess of 2 inches (instead of 1.5 in the Purplish Tagelus), and lacks the purplish coloration of the other one.
![The Stout Tagelus, Tagelus plebeius, from Sanibel Island. José H. Leal.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7f077a_5e72e84879c74e20aca4d662e31f5aac~mv2_d_1950_1558_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_117,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/7f077a_5e72e84879c74e20aca4d662e31f5aac~mv2_d_1950_1558_s_2.jpg)
The Stout Tagelus, Tagelus plebeius, from Sanibel Island. Photo by José H. Leal.