Page:American Seashells (1954).djvu/522

Tellina promera Dall Promera Tellin Figure 86c South half of Florida and the West Indies. % inch in length, very similar to 77iera, but larger, more inflated, thicker- shelled, more oval and with the umbones a little closer to the center of the shell. This may be only a subspecies of mera. Quite common on both sides of Florida. Tellina tampaensis Conrad Tampa Tellin Figure 86b South half of Florida to Texas, the Bahamas and Cuba. /4 to % inch in length, similar to mera, but more pointed posteriorly, whitish with a faint pinkish blush, and with very numerous, microscopic, concentric lines of growth. The pallial sinus line in this species runs forward nearly to the anterior muscle scar and then drops almost vertically toward the ventral margin of the shell before continuing posteriorly. In 77tera and promera, the pallial sinus line toward the anterior muscle scar, makes a U-shaped turn, and then runs posteriorly but does not join the lower pallial line until about the middle of the ventral region of the valve. Common in shallow water. Tellina texana Dall Say's Tellin New Jersey to south half of Florida and Cuba. % inch in length, white with a faint opalescent sheen. Extremely close to agilis, but distinguished by the heavy, enamel-white finish on the inside of the shell and i or i fairly distinct radial grooves running from the poste- rior muscle scar to the ventral margin of the valve. The faint pallial sinus just touches the anterior muscle scar. Fairly common. T. sayi Dall (Dec. 1900) is a synonym of T. texana Dall (Nov. 1900). T. poUta Say (not Spengler) is also this species. Tellina sybaritic a Dall Dall's Dwarf Tellin Figure 86d North Carolina, the Gulf of Mexico and Cuba. y4 to Vs inch in length, very elongate, shiny, with quite strong, nu- merous concentric threads or cut lines. Color varying from translucent-white, yellowish, pinkish to bright watermelon-red. Our smallest and most colorful Tellin, and plentiful from i to 60 fathoms. It somewhat resembles young alternata, but the latter are smoother and have a short instead of long poste- rior lateral tooth in the left valve, and has no lateral lamina in the left valve.