Nassarius stolatus

Nassarius stolatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.

Description
The length of the shell varies from 15 mm to 30 mm.

The ovate, conical shell is pointed at the summit. The pyramidal spire is formed of six or seven distinct, smooth, convex whorls. These are covered with very prominent, convex, longitudinal folds, intersected only at the base, and upon the two or three upper whorls, by a few pretty deep transverse striae. Upon these whorls the striae become finer and more approximate. They rarely exist upon the whole surface. In like manner the longitudinal folds do not appear upon the right portion of the body whorl. The color is of a violaceous white. A dark red zone borders the suture, and a broader and browner band surrounds also the middle of the body whorl.

Distribution
This marine species occurs off India (Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra), Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand; in the Mediterranean Sea as an introduced species.