in natural history, a genus of animals belonging to the class of vermes; and order of teleoidea. The animal is a tethys; the shell is bivalve, generally sloping to one side, with three teeth at the hinge. Gmelin reckons about 50 species.

The tellina bury themselves in the mud or sand at the bottom of the sea, keeping a communication with the water above by means of short tubes or pipes.