Norway to South Africa, to Mediterranean. Intertidal to sublittoral, burrowed in fine sand or muddy sand, mainly in sheltered areas (DORIS). Also present « in a variety of substrates from hard sand - stony sand - muddy gravel - muddy sand », often at the « base of rocks; or nestling in crevices or old piddock holes on rocky shores » (MBSBI).
Original taxon: Venus corrugata.
Subtidal, in sand, Málaga, Andalucia, S. Spain. 27-28mm.
« This shell is littoral, and does not appear ever to range beyond the laminarian zone. It lives buried in gravelly sand, muddy gravel, or in crevices of rocks, and roots of Laminariae. It is very generally distributed around our coast, but rather local; usually, however, plentiful where-ever it does occur. […] dates its origin from the Pleistocene epoch. » – Forbes & Hanley: op. cit. vol. I, p.387.
Testa ovata exalbida. striis transversis anterius crassis validis, posterius tenerrimis medio undulatis. – J. F. Gmelin: Caroli a Linnaei Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae 10th ed., vol. I pars. 6 “Vermes”, Leipzig 1791.
Variations along a beach.
South of the river mouth, on right bank, Le Grau du Roi, S. France. 15-30mm.
On mud flats, south coast of Malta. 41mm.
At extreme low tide between stones, la Concurrence, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, W. France. 35-37mm.
Lengthened and distorted specimens collected at extreme low tide inside rocks (occupants of Pholadidae’s bores), Pointe des Minimes, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, W. France. 28-34mm.
Variant “saxatilis” Fleuriau de Bellevue.
In marly limestone bank at low tide, Pointe de Chauveaux, Sainte-Marie, Île de Ré, La Rochelle. 23mm.
This variant is relatively common in the English Channel.
