Size: Up to about 9mm long. Shape: Relatively narrow girdle with the shell making up 80-90% of the width. Valves are relatively tall, and shaped as round arches with no keel. Shell colour: White or cream but deposits of iron/manganese can occur as black or rust coloured streaks or patches. Sculpture: Long chain-like rows. Girdle: Covered with densely packed bluntly pointed, slightly ribbed scales. Animal: Gills confined to the latter half of the animal (merobranch) and appear red. Foot is flesh coloured but can have hints of red or rose.
- Tall rounded arch shaped intermediate valves
- Valve sculpture of chain like rows
Lives on the underside of stones and pebbles embedded in silty sand. It feeds by grazing material from the rock surface using its radula. It occurs very low on the shore down to depths of 900m.
Occurs on Atlantic coasts from the southern parts of Norway down to the Mediterranean. It is found through-out the British Isles though is not common.
- Baxter, J.M. and Jones, A.M. 1987. Molluscs: Caudofoveata Solenogastres Polyplacophora and Scaphopoda. London.