Prickly Spindle-shell

The size of an adult shell varies between 10 mm and 20 mm. The narrow, conical shell has seven or eight tumid whorls, crossed by numerous transverse ribs (15 to 20 on the penultimate whorl), spiral ridges and fine growth lines. These ribs are narrow and interact with spiral ridges, forming a deep reticulate pattern with raised tubercles. The thin outer lip is straight, crenulate andshows internal grooves. It is marked with inflection at the base of the siphonal canal. This siphonal canal is long (about 25% of the length of the shell), narrow and almost straight. The color of the shell is yellowish (often with spiral brown bands), flesh-colored or sometimes white. The ova-capsules are described by Jeffreys as about a line in diameter, with an oval orifice. The contain a purplish liquor together with the fry. The animal is light yellow or whitish. It is eaten by fishes : Trigla lyra and Peristedion cataphractum.

This species occurs in sublittoral European waters, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Black Sea, in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean off Portugal, Spain and the Azores