The low-lying energy spectra of even-even tellurium isotopes near midshell have long been interpreted as ‘‘textbook’’ examples of vibrational collective motion. However, in many cases electric-quadrupole observables, which are a particularly sensitive probe of collectivity, remain undetermined. Coulomb-excitation measurements were performed to measure transition strengths connecting the ground and low-excitation states in ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$. This isotope lies at a transitional point between collective structure near the neutron midshell and seniority structures near the $N=82$ shell. A transition strength, $B(E2;6_1^{+}\to 4_1^{+})$, of 27(9) W.u. was measured for the $6_1^{+}\to 4_1^{+}$ transition for the first time in this nucleus; this value is significantly below that expected for a spherical vibrator, as well as other collective models. We examine the transition strengths in ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$ and its neighbors by comparison with large-basis shell-model calculations and by comparison with general collective model (GCM) fits. A GCM description of ${}^{120}\mathrm{Te}$ agrees with experimental $E2$ transition strengths, but no comparable description of ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$ is possible with the GCM. In contrast, there is remarkably good agreement between the $B(E2;6_1^{+}\to 4_1^{+})$ values and shell-model calculations for ${}^{124\text{–}134}\mathrm{Te}$. It appears that, despite approaching midshell, ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$ retains a seniority structure for the $6_1^{+}$ level, i.e., a significant $\pi 0g_{7/2}^2$ contribution. This persistence of the shell structure at the $6_1^{+}$ state is in contrast to the $B\left(E2\right)$ values of the lower-excitation $2_1^{+}$ and $4_1^{+}$ states in ${}^{124}\mathrm{Te}$, and neighboring ${}^{120}\mathrm{Te}$ and ${}^{122}\mathrm{Te}$, for which the collectivity becomes enhanced as more neutrons are removed from $N=82$.

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• Collective levels
• Collective models
• Coulomb excitation
• Electromagnetic transitions
• Energy levels
• Nuclear structure & decays
• Nuclear transition rates
• Shell model
• 90 ≤ A ≤ 149