Common Olive

Oliva oliva is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc of the family Olividae, the olive snails. ^[1][2]

This is the type species of the genus Oliva.

Subspecies

Oliva oliva longispira Bridgman, 1906^[3]

Description

Fossils of the genus Oliva are common from the Eocene Epoch (57.8 to 36.6 million years ago) to the present. The shell, which is distinctive and easily recognizable, has a pointed apex and rapidly expands outward to the main body whorl. It is oval in shape, with a long and narrow aperture, and possesses an agatelike sheen and fine markings. Folds are developed on the end of the body whorl in a characteristic pattern.

Olives burrow in sandy bottoms. Common in southeastern American waters is the lettered olive(Oliva sayana), about 6 cm (2.5 inches) long. Abundant in the Indo-Pacific region is the 8-centimetre (3-inch) orange-mouthed olive (O. sericea).

Distribution

This marine species has a wide distribution and occurs from Southeast India into the Pacific

References

• Orr J. (1985). Hong Kong seashells. The Urban Council, Hong Kong
• Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
• Steyn, D.G & Lussi, M. (2005). Offshore Shells of Southern Africa: A pictorial guide to more than 750 Gastropods. Published by the authors. Pp. i–vi, 1–289