Solid shell up to 6.5 cm long. Plump shell that can be as wide as it is long. Pallial sinus small and triangular. Sculpture strong concentric ridges which are warty especially towards the front margin and the sides. Yellow-brown occasionally with three or four red-brown or purple rays; sometimes broken or zigzag. Inside white but may be stained purple or brown.
Key identification features
- Prominent concentric ridges on shell surface
- Wart like spines on outside of shell near the anterior and posterior margins
- Inner margin of shell crenulate
Similar species
- Circomphalus casina lacks the wart like sculpturing
- Clausinella fasciata lacks the prominent concentric ridges
Ecology and behaviour
Shallow burrower in sand or fine/mixed gravel. Feeds by filtering phytoplankton from the water.
Distribution and status
Not uncommon; locally common.
Found in the English Channel and SW Ireland and south to the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean.