[1] This species is a familiar part of the marine fauna of the Northern Atlantic and is found on the shores of the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Norway, Iceland, various other northwest European countries, some Arctic islands, and North America as far south as New Jersey.

The wavy folds are crossed by numerous incised, very prominent spiral lines, some of which are paired.

The white and very large aperture of the shell is broadly oval and tapers to a deeply notched siphonal canal.

It varies also in its coloring, which in some specimens is of a bright yellow or violet, surrounded with one or several reddish bands.

[4] This species of whelk feeds on live bivalves, and are, in turn, preyed upon by several fish (cod, dogfish, etc.)

Imposex, the occurrence of male gonads on female whelks, has been detected since the early 1990s, and is thought to be a product of the shipping industry.