(Montagu, 1803)
Description (shell):
Shell elongate, oval to quadrate, umbones distinctly anterior; hinge line sloping anteriorly, straight posteriorly, forming a sharp angle with posterior margin. Sculpture of very fine concentric lines and radiating striations, equally developed, with the concentric element predominant posteriorly. Growth stages clear. Lunule elongate, shallow, escutcheon narrow. Each valve with three cardinal teeth: centre one of left valve, and centre and posterior of right are bifid. Adductor scars and pallial line distinct. Pallial sinus deep, U-shaped, extending beyond midline of shell; posteriorly, the lower limb of the pallial sinus may be confluent with the pallial line for a short distance (V. senegalensis-drawing).
Size:
Up to 50 mm long.
Colour:
Cream, light fawn to brown, in irregular patches, bands, and rays, usually darkest close to posterior margin. Inner surfaces glossy white, often tinted blue or purple beneath umbones and along posterior margin.
Animal:
Varies in colour from white to grey and yellow. The mantle margins may be waved or jagged. (V. senegalensis-animal).
Habitat:
A shallow burrower in mixed sandy bottoms, usually attached by a byssus. From the lower shore into the shallow sublittoral.
Distribution:
Distributed from northern Norway to the Mediterranean and north-west Africa (Distr. V. senegalensis).