The length of the shell varies between 30 mm and 45 mm.
The ovate, conical shell has a bluish ash color, traversed by distant lines, articulated and generally formed by oblong black points. The spots upon the upper
whorls are larger, flamed, more or less numerous. The
spire is composed of seven whorls. They are slightly convex, and united by a pretty fine and regular linear
suture. The
aperture is oblong ovate, slightly longitudinal, smooth and of a chamois-yellow color. The outer
lip is thin and sharp.[1]
Distribution
This marine species is
endemic to New Zealand and is found off the North Island, the north part of the South Island and the
Chatham Islands.[2][3][4][5][6] This species inhabits mid to low tidal zones, to 16 m depth.[7][8]
^Vaux, Felix; Hills, Simon F.K.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). "A phylogeny of Southern Hemisphere whelks (Gastropoda: Buccinulidae) and concordance with the fossil record". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114 (2017): 367–381.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.018.
PMID28669812.
^Fleming, Angela M.; Dohner, Melanie; Phillips, Nicole E.; Ritchie, Peter A. (2018). "Genetic connectivity among populations of two congeneric direct-developing whelks varies across spatial scales". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 52 (1): 100–117.
Bibcode:
2018NZJMF..52..100F.
doi:
10.1080/00288330.2017.1340899.
S2CID90774557.
^Dohner, Melanie; Phillips, Nicole E.; Ritchie, Peter A. (2018). "Fine-scale genetic structure across a New Zealand disjunction for the direct-developing intertidal whelk Cominella maculosa (Gastropoda: Buccinidae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 123 (2): 593–602.
doi:
10.1093/biolinnean/blx167.