Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

What Can We Learn From Confusing Olivella Columellaris And O. Semistriata (Olivellidae, Gastropoda), Two Key Species In Panamic Sandy Beach Ecosystems?, Allison I. Troost, Samantha D. Rupert, Ariel Z. Cyrus, Frank V. Paladino, Benjamin F. Dattilo, Winfried S. Peters

Benjamin F. Dattilo

Olivella columellaris (Sowerby 1825) and O. semistriata (Gray 1839) are suspension-feeding, swash-surfing snails on tropical sandy beaches of the east Pacific. While they often are the numerically dominant macrofaunal element in their habitats, their biology is poorly understood; the two species actually have been confused in all of the few publications that address their ecology. Frequent misidentifications in publications and collections contributed also to an overestimation of the geographic overlap of the two species. To provide a sound taxonomic basis for further functional, ecological, and evolutionary investigations, we evaluated the validity of diagnostic traits in wild populations and museum collections, …