Description: Shell is up to 12 mm in height, very smooth, glossy white and a little translucent. There is a thick outer lip to the shell which turns outwards and has 15-18 white (sometimes brown or pink) teeth on the inner edge. The body of the animal is white and speckled with brown, red, orange and yellow. The mantle comes out over the shell (like Trivia) and is dark in colour with yellow tubercles. It has a white siphon, speckled like the body, protruding from the front of the shell when active.

Habitat: Hard substrata in depths 20 – 100 m.

Distribution: Recorded on most coasts around Britain and Ireland, although very rarely found. It seems to be mostly absent from east coast of Britain and most records are in north of Britain and Ireland. In Northern Ireland it has only been recorded on north coast (shell only) and Rathlin Island, although a live animal has not been recorded since the 1980s. Any recent sightings should be reported.

Similar Species: Could potentially be confused with juvenile Trivia spp. or Simnia patula. Juvenile Trivia have very thin shells whilst Erato voluta has a thick shell, the mantle is also dark coloured in Erato. Simnia patula is yellow and has a white mantle striped with orange-brown to black, and is usually found on Alcyonium digitatum.

Key Identification Features:

• Thick, glossy white shell.
• Thick outer lip to shell with 15-18 white (occasionally brown or pink) teeth.
• Body is white speckled with brown, red, orange or yellow.
• Mantle is dark in colour with yellow tubercles, and extends out over the shell when active.

Distribution Map from NBN: Erato voluta at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Erato voluta at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Erato voluta

WoRMS: Erato voluta at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Erato voluta (Montagu, 1803). AphiaID: 139761.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Mollusca; Gastropoda; Caenogastropoda; Littorinimorpha; Velutinoidea; Eratoidae; Erato