Lacinate Dolphin Shell

The shell of this species is variable in degree of sculpture, depending on how exposed or sheltered the environment is in which the snail lives. These different forms are called ecomorphs. The shells can reach 73 mm in size. The interior of the shells are lined with mother of pearl, whereas the exterior of the shells are often decorated with stumpy outgrowths that resemble hands or fingers. The spire of the shell is flattened, and the whorls may be distinctly angular in outline when viewed from above. There is a deep umbilicus, and when alive, the snail exhibits a brown horny operculum.

This species is found in shallow intertidal waters, usually on rocky shorelines and in reef flats. It is native to the Central Indo-Pacific, from Northern Australia and New Caledonia to Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Andaman Sea.