About Nassarius dorsatus (Röding, 1798)
The shell of Nassarius dorsatus ranges in length from 15 mm to 45 mm. It has an ovate, conical shape, is smooth, and is a uniform ashy white in color. The spire is made up of eight whorls. The upper whorls are slightly plaited, while the lowest whorl is quite large. This lowest whorl is marked with more or less straight, closely spaced longitudinal lines that are a slightly deeper, reddish color. The base of the shell has six or seven furrows. The aperture is ovate, and is white to fawn-colored on the inside. The thick outer lip curves toward the base, and forms a thick, very prominent margin on its outer side. The entire inner length of the outer lip is striated. The left lip is thick, and partially covers the columella. The columella is decorated with small rounded guttules along half its length; the uppermost of these guttules is much more prominent than the others. At the base of the columella there is a very prominent fold, ending in a flattened point-shaped guttule. This marine species is found in the tropical Western Pacific, off the coasts of East India, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, where it occurs in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia.
