Tent Olive, Oliva porphyria

Tent Olive, Oliva porphyria. Size: 7.7 cm (3.0 inches) x 3.7 cm (1.5 inches).

The Tent Olive, Oliva porphyria (Linnaeus, 1758), is a member of the Olividae Family of Olive Shells that is also known as the Camp Olive and in Mexico as oliva veteada. The shells have six whorls, a concave to straight sided and sharply pointed spire and an aperture that has an inside lip marked with fine grooves. The exterior of the shell is very shiny and is pale pink, lavender or white in color with brown zigzags or chevrons (tent shapes) markings (in some specimens, the brown chevrons run together, forming blotches); the interior is light orange, tan, or white. Tent Olive Shells are the largest Olive in the region reaching a maximum length of 13.5 cm (5.3 inches).

Tent Olive Shells are found over and within sand substrate at depths between 50 and 100 feet. They are found in the coastal region of the southern Sea of Cortez, from, Loreto to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and south to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. They have not been documented from the west coast of Baja.

Synonyms include: Olive fasciata, Oliva levariana, Olive panamensis, Olive tentorium, and Voluta porphyria.