Highly variable shell. Can be globe shaped to conical and can have a smooth surface or have low spiral ridges. The colour is yellowish brown to grey and can be overlaid with irregular dark brown to black stripes. The characteristic feature is that the outer lip of the shell is always yellow and often has dark blotches. the inside of the shell is dull silver or grey.

Firm Muddy shores, in the upper to mid-intertidal zones.

Feeds on algaes such as Ulva sp.

Can be very abundant and can co-occur with Diloma aethiops and Cantharidus tenebrosus.

NZ Coastal Marine Invertebrates; Vol 1