Tritia varicosa (Turton, 1825)
Norway to W. Mediterranean. Scavenger in the infralittoral and upper circalittoral, hidden under the surface of sand.
Original taxon: Tritonia varicosa.
Trawled at 20-30m deep, Málaga, Andalucia, Spain. 8-8mm.
Synonyms: elongatula, eutacta, pygmaea…
Trawled at 25-50m deep, off Málaga. 9,5mm.
Turton described the species after northern specimens, which are usually paler than those from Mediterranean: « Shell conic, whitish with rufous marks, with two or three white varices. Volutions seven, flattish and decussate. Aperture purple, toothed on each side. Pillar white externally. Length six-tenths of an inch; breadth four-tenths. » – W. Turton: “Description of some new British shells”, Zoological Journal vol. 2, january 1825 - april 1826, London 1826, p.365.

10-15m deep, on soft bottom, La Goulette, N. Tunisia. 8,9mm.
Original pictures provided by M. Antit for WoRMS.
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
Larval shell of varicosa, from Cap Ras, Llançà, Catalunya, NE. Spain. 0,7mm. The species is common in the Gulf of Lion.
Protoconch, with the larval shell on the summit, on an adult.
Original pictures provided by A. Nappo (IT).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –
10m deep, Caska, Pag, Lika-Senj Comitat, Croatia. 7,5mm.
Original pictures provided by N. Lete (HR).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) –

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