Greenland to W. Florida, White Sea to W. Sahara, Azores to Mediterranean. Absent from eastern shores of North Sea and from Baltic (Hayward & Ryland, 1990 via WoRMS). Intertidal and infralittoral. Grazer, often in red algae communities.
Original taxon: Turbo planorbis.
Synonyms: depressa, trochiformis.
Intertidal, Punta del Carnero, Algeciras, Andalucia, S. Spain. 0,9-1,2mm.
10-12m deep, in shell grit on sand, Vignola bay, Marina di Davia, Corbara, NW. Corsica. 1mm. Original pictures provided by S. Clanzig (FR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
Low tide, Harlyn Bay, Cornwall, England. 0,6-1,6mm.
« The animal is of a hyaline white. […] Beneath the transparent operculum is seen the slight process or rudimentary filament terminating the operculigerous lobe. As it walks it usually drags its shell sideways, so that often the hinder part of the foot only is applied to the ground. […] This little Mollusk lives in great numbers under stones at low water, and among the stems and roots of Corallina officinalis. It is found, usually in great abundance, all round the shores of the British Islands, but for the smallness of its size it often escapes notice. » – Forbes & Hanley: op. cit. vol. III, London 1853, p.158.
