At about 6 mm (0.23 inch), the Oyster Dove Snail, Parvanachis ostreicola (G.B. Sowerby III, 1882), is another of the small-size local dove snails (family Columbellidae). Its shell is very similar to that of the Obese Dove Snail, Parvanachis obesa (C.B. Adams, 1845), a species covered in this column in February 2015. This latter species, however, has a more slender shell, lighter color, and less conspicuous spiral cords on the shell sculpture. As other species of the family do, Oyster Dove Snails live in association with seaweed.
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The Oyster Dove Snail, Parvanachis ostreicola, from Sanibel. Photos by José H. Leal.