Conical shell up to 35mm in height with 7 to 9 whorls. Colour is pale yellow marked with red brown spots or streaks. The shell is sculptured with spiral ridges raised into promient granular points. These major ridges are interspersed with smaller ones which are smooth. The animal has three pairs of epipodial tentacles.
Key identification features
- Conical shell with slightly concave sides and a pointed apex
- Breadth approximately equal to height
- Shell has spiral ridges which are beaded but not reticulated
Similar species
- Calliostoma zizyphinum spiral ridges on the last whorl are not beaded
- Jujubinus miliaris has a clearly reticulated sculpture on the shell surface
Ecology and behaviour
Lives subtidally on gravel or soft bottoms.
Distribution and status
Occassional. Occurs from the south of the British Isles to the Azores and into the Mediterranean.
The map provided here shows the distribution of the species based on Conchological Society data.