Vernacular names: Banded venus
Shell solid up to 2.5cm in length. Very colourful often showing shades of white, yellow, pink, purple, red or brown with rays or streaks. Valve surface sculptured with a few solid broad ridges. Siphons are united but split at the tips.
Key identification features
- Inner margin crenulate
- A few very well defined broad flat concentric rings on the valve surface
Similar species
- Venus verrucosa has prominent concentric ridges broken into wart like sculpturing
- Circomphalus casina has much more prominent concentric ridges
Ecology and behaviour
Shallow burrower in gravel (sometimes mixed with sand or mud). Has been recorded creeping into crab pots.
Distribution and status
Common. Widely distributed. Recorded from the North of Norway to the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.
The map provided here shows the distribution of the species based on Conchological Society data.