Slender shell up to about 10cm in length. Edges curved and parallel, tapering towards the posterior end. Creamy white in colour with red-brown streaks streaks. Periostracum dark green to yellow-green. Shell sculptured with very fine horizontal and vertical lines with clear growth lines. Foot is reddish in colour.
Key identification features
- Both edges of the shell curved to the same extent
- Relatively slender shell
- Posterior adductor about 1.5 times its own length from pallial sinus
- Foot retractor muscle posterior to ligament insertion
Similar species
- Ensis siliqua is almost straight in comparison
- Ensis arcuatus is almost straight in comparison
Ecology and behaviour
Burrows in fine or silty sand. Remains close to the surface while submerged in water, retreating to a depth of up to half a metre when exposed.
Distribution and status
Recorded from the Norwegian Sea and Baltic to the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean.