About Jujubinus exasperatus (Pennant, 1777)
Jujubinus exasperatus is a species of sea snail. The adult shell of this species ranges in size from 7 to 15 millimetres, or 0.28 to 0.59 inches. The shell has a conical shape with straight sides and a flat, imperforate base that holds around 6 spiral cords; these base cords are smoother than the cords found on the shell's whorls. The whorl sides have four to five beaded cords, which are narrower than the interspaces between them. Very fine prosocline lamellae are present in these interspaces. A noticeably thicker compound cord occurs above the suture on the spire, and at the periphery of the body whorl. The shell's aperture is subquadrangular, with a moderate denticle at the base of the columella. The outer lip has a sharp cutting edge. The earliest whorls typically have a reddish background color, while later whorls are usually whitish marked with red, brown, or more rarely black flame-shaped patterns. The peripheral cord is typically patterned with alternating red and white sections. The apex of the shell is pink, and the interior of the aperture is nacreous. This herbivorous sea snail feeds on algae. This species is distributed in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from the British islands to Portugal and Morocco, and also occurs throughout the Mediterranean Sea, mainly in Spain, Italy, and Greece. It is common in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, found at depths between 0 and 30 meters.
