Vexillum obeliscus

Vexillum obeliscus, common name the obelisk mitre, is a species of small sea snail, marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costellariidae, the ribbed miters.

Description

The shell size varies between 20 mm and 45 mm.
The shell is acuminately turreted. The spire is sharp. The whorls are longitudinally ribbed. The ribs are narrow and close-set. The interstices are impressly cancellated. The shell is yellowish brown, encircled with a single white line. The columella is four-plaited. The base is recurved in a twisted manner.
The shell is chestnut-brown, with a central white band, and sometimes an inferior narrower one.
The shells are extremely variable in sculpture and other morphological features.

Distribution

This species is distributed in the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean along the Mascarene Basin and Madagascar; in the Pacific Ocean along New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and the Solomons Islands.