Nucella lamellosa (wrinkled purple)

Found in area 7 to 9 on large rocks mostly at the bottom.

Wrinkled purple seems a funny name for a white shell. It makes sense if you know history. Long ago in Roman times the color purple was desirable for clothing. Relatives of the wrinkled purple in the Mediterranean Sea were the source of purple dye. All of these relatives are called purples no matter what color the shells are. These are probably the prettiest shells on the beach and they look fragile but they aren’t.

Wrinkled purples can be white to brown. Some are yellow. Orange ones are fairly common at the cove. The orange color is a result of eating barnacles which are rich in carotene. The further south these purples are the more likely their shells will be smooth. At the Cove they are in the south part of the beach on the big rocks. You wouldn’t want them as friends. The egg cases contain more than one wrinkled purple. The young are cannibals and the adults eat the contents of their own egg cases.