(Montagu, 1803)
Description (shell):
Shell subtriangular, almost equilateral, umbones on midline. Sculpture of numerous smooth, concentric ridges; growth stages clear. Lunule distinct, elongate, lanceolate; escutcheon ill-defined. Each valve with three cardinal teeth; two anterior laterals in the right valve, one in the left. Adductor scars and pallial line distinct; pallial sinus very small, represented by a shallow concavity immediately below posterior adductor scar.
Size:
Up to 15 mm long.
Colour:
White to light brown, red or purple, often with streaks, spots or rays of darker pigment on a lighter ground. Periostracum thin, indistinct. Inner surfaces white, glossy.
Animal:
Transparent greyish. The mantle is spotted with brown and fringed with short cylindrical points. The siphons are unequal in length and relatively short. The foot is large, tongue-shaped, adapted in burrowing.
Habitat:
Burrows in sandy mud, fine sand, or gravel; offshore to at least the edge of the continental shelf.
Distribution:
Ranges from Norway to the Mediterranean and West Africa (Distr. G. minima).