Olives: two doubtful specimens

[cebrizi]

Dear Sirs:
I would appreciate your help in the identification of these two olives, I bought them from a mixed box of shells and they may be from Madagascar or Somalia.

Thank you for your help and best regards

[cebrizi2]

I would just like to add the two links to the pictures (i had problems viewing them)

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/12974655">http://www.badongo.com/pic/12974655</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/12974656">http://www.badongo.com/pic/12974656</a><!-- m -->

[dave r]

Left shell looks like O. caroliniana, right one is O. caerulea.
Dave

[cebrizi2]

Thank You Dave for your determination,

I do not oppose your very welcome and well-placed determinations, I would only like to let you know why I didn't propose them in first place.

The supposed O. caroliniana is not easy to tell. I have another specimen that was assigned to O. caroliniana by Mr. Monfils, if I remember correctly, that is somehow different. I'll check where and let you know.

About O. caerulea, many things coincide (and the internal color is in fact very blue), but (apart being much smaller that my other caerulea specimens) the columellar folds do not resemble those in the other O. Careulea that I have. The problem is that I took for granted some determinations made by the people selling me the shells, when in fact they too are doubtful (e.g. my "original" caerulea may not be a caerulea after all...).

Add those uncertainities to the intrinsic difficulties with many Olives, and without the very limited bibliography I have at hand...

Many thanks, for now I'll stick to your suggestions.

[dave r]

Hi Cebrizi2. I have looked again at the shells and I think that is what they are judging by the actual shell characters and locality. Are you 100% certain they are Indian Ocean specimens? If so the names I gave are the most likely candidates. Both are quite variable species and the caerulea may be a little juvenile which may explain the columella differences.
I have an extensive Olividae reference collection and several books too so if you need any other specimens determined let me know and I will do my best to help.
Cheers,
Dave

[cebrizi2]

Dear Dave:
many thanks! With a more careful look, I agree totally on O. caerulea. About O. caroliniana, seemingly I mistook for caroliniana another specimen.
please see attachment that Mr. monfils tentatively assigned to O. caroliniana. I take for granted that the left specimen in my previous photo is O. caroliniana, as you suggested.
But then, wich olive is the one attached here, that I mistakingly believed to be a caroliniana?

Many many thanks for your support!

[cebrizi2]

Excuse, I forgot to say: the last photos ("wrong caroliniana") are from a specimen from Ampasilava, Madagascar, Mozambique channel

Many thanks again

[dave r]

Sorry my friend but I can't open the attachment. Can you post it in Badongo as you did before?
Cheers,
Dave

[cebrizi2]

Excuse me, here are the links - scale is in millimeters, as usual.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13026254">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13026254</a><!-- m -->

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/13026255">http://www.badongo.com/pic/13026255</a><!-- m -->


Many thanks for any suggestion

[dave r]

I think it is caroliniana: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.gastropods.com/4/Shell_4074.shtml&nbsp;">http://www.gastropods.com/4/Shell_4074.shtml&nbsp;</a><!-- m --> maybe a bit immature or beached? Like all olives caroliniana is quite variable. The only other possibility would be atalina but not with the purple mouth.
Cheers,
Dave