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.