Olivella minuta (Link, 1807) Minute Dwarf Olive
Distribution: Texas; West Indies to Brazil. Size: 15 mm.
Description: Color variable, basically dull white with purplish zigzag lines and/or bands sometimes suffused with orange or yellow; shape elongate-oval; sculpture smooth; spire elevated, acute; suture grooved and brownish-purple; columella with weak diagonal plicae; parietal area smooth; aperture triangular; upper outer lip with a channel where the lip meets the body whorl; siphonal notch distinct; fasciole distinct. Habitat: Infaunal; sandy areas of surf zone to a depth of 1 5 m (50 ft). Remarks: O. minuta is a nocturnal carnivore found burrowing just below the surface of the sand. See Ode (1969i); Andrews (1977). Synonym: Oliva verreauxii Duclos, 1857.