Infralittoral and probably deeper, in coastal detritic, coarse sands, fine gravels. Locard (1902) gives a depth range of 40-700m. The genus lives on Earth since, at least, the Oligocene.
Original taxon: Cerithium trilineatum.
« Shell small, turriculate. Whorls strongly flattened, suture marked only by a very weak depression and consequently almost invisible. […] Protoconch consisting of two and a quarter smooth whorls. First and part of second whorl tumnid, last part less so. Protoconch and teleoconch not sharply delineated. Teleoconch sculpture beginning with a weak central spiral, closely followed by an abapical spiral. » – R. Marquet: “A study of some Neogene European species of Seilinae”, Bulletin de l’Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique vol. 71, p.198.
Young specimen collected at 8m deep, at base of the submarine bank of conglomerate, 600m east of Mochlos, NE. of Kolpos Mirabellou, Lassithi, N. Crete. 4mm.
« Third adapical spiral appearing last, half a whorl after the middle one. This spiral remains slightly weaker than both abapical ones on the first teleoconc whorl. Spirals become equally strong on teleoconch. Adult sculpture consisting of three equal spiral ribs, one third as wide as the deeply incised intercostal spaces. Two additional spirals present on body whorl; a fourth at the periphery only slightly weaker than the three main spirals; a very weak fifth appears on the shell base. Between the spiral ribs, much weaker but clearly visible opisthocline axial ribs are present, on the middle whorls about 50 in number, continuous on the spiral ribs. Shell base slightly concave and smooth, with exception of the fifth spiral; aperture small, quadrangular; siphonal canal very short. »
A rare species, almost always found with the protoconch broken. 4m deep, on detritic bottom at the foot of the citadel, south of the harbour, Methóni, Messinia, SW. Peloponnese, SW. Greece. 4,4mm.
