| Dentalium neohexagonum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Scaphopoda |
| Order: | Dentaliida |
| Family: | Dentaliidae |
| Genus: | Dentalium Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species: | D. neohexagonum |
| Binomial name | |
| Dentalium neohexagonum Sharp and Pilsbry, 1897 |
|
Dentalium neohexagonum is a species of tusk shell in the family Dentaliidae.[1] As the Latin name implies, the cross section of this shell is hexagonal; hence its common name is six-sided tusk shell.[2]
This species occurs along the central and southern California coast of the Pacific Ocean. The shells of this species are known to have been used by the Chumash people at least as early as circa 1000 AD, in the Morro Bay area.[3]