One of the many similar species of Clanculus, this one is usually found subtidally at several metres deep, on or under rocks. Its shell is covered in nodules, and its pattern is variable, but it often has brown bands of patches on a cream shell. Difficult to distinguish from other members of its genus, it is most reliably differentiated by its subtidal habitat and straight whorls, which form a cone shape, albeit flattened, unlike the more rounded whorls of many of its relatives.
