Shell spindle shaped, solidly constructed, up to 70mm high. Whorls, up to 10, only slightly rounded, sculpture of numerous fine spiral ridges and growth lines. Apex of the shell (juvenile shell) a little enlarged. Mouth oval, siphonal canal short and broad. Shell white, covered by a yellowish periostracum, which may be worn in places. A variable species.
Key identification features
- Tall straight sided cone
- Siphonal canal short and wide
- Shell thick
- Periostracum thin, yellowish
Similar species
- Colus islandicus Siphonal canal longer and narrower, shell more delicate, apex (juvenile shell) very bulbuous
- Colus jeffreysianus Apex sharp, periostracum hairy, shell thinner
- Colus holboelli Siphonal canal narrower, periostracum hairy, shell thin
- Colus turgidulus Siphonal canal very short, whorls inflated, suture canalised, shell thinner
Ecology and behaviour
Lives on sandy or muddy bottoms.
Distribution and status
Norway to Portugal. Found most commonly in the north of the British Isles.
The map provided here shows the distribution of the species based on Conchological Society data.