About Phorcus turbinatus (Born, 1778)
The shell of Phorcus turbinatus ranges between 15 mm and 43 mm in size. This shell is very solid, thick, imperforate, and has a conical shape. Its base color is whitish, tinted with gray, yellowish, or greenish, and patterned with numerous spiral rows of reddish, purple, or chocolate-colored sub-quadrangular blotches. The conoid spire is more or less elevated, and its apex is eroded. There are approximately 6 slightly convex whorls, with impressed spiral lines located between the rows of blotches; the final whorl generally slopes downward toward the front. The base of the shell is eroded in front of the aperture. The aperture is very oblique. The thick, smooth outer lip is beveled to a sharp edge, and the interior of the shell is pearly and iridescent. The columella is flattened across its surface, has a blunt lobe inside, is pearly, and is backed by an opaque white layer. This marine species is found in the Mediterranean Sea, within the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone, the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, and the Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone including the Canary Islands, Spain.
