Arcopella balaustina

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Submitted by Steve Wilkinson on Sat, 05/12/2009 22:15

Brittle shell up to about 2cm in length. White or pale yellow in colour sometimes with pink or red-brown radiating rays. Inside of shell is polished and tinged with orange. Exterior of shell is sculptured with prominent concentric ridges.

Key identification features

Lower margin of pallial sinus not confluent with pallial line
Brittle oval shell

Similar species

Arcopagia crassa has a much thicker shell

Ecology and behaviour

Burrows in fine sand where it feeds on organic detritus picked up through the siphon.

Distribution and status

Rare. Recorded from Britain south to the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean.

The map provided here shows the distribution of the species based on Conchological Society data.

Note, MolluscaBase indicates that Arcopella balaustina (Linnaeus, 1758) is the currently accepted name for this species. Arcopagia balaustina (Linnaeus, 1758) is therefore considered a synonym at present.