Calliostoma tricolor is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of sea snail

Sea snail

Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....

, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Calliostomatidae

Calliostomatidae

Calliostomatidae is a family of sea snails within the superfamily Trochoidea and the clade Vetigastropoda.- Description :The Calliostomatidae are unusually diverse. They are characterized by a stepped spire and a pointy aperture. They may possess or lack an umbilicus. The columella is sometimes...

.

Description

The shell has angular shouldered whorls; the upper portion of each whorl is slightly concave to flat. The early whorls have minutely beaded threads which become smoother and appear as fine smooth spiral ribs on later whorls. The color is yellowish brown with a pattern of spaced spiral rings of alternating brown and white bars. Height 18 to 25 mm.

Distribution

This species occurs subtidally from San Francisco, California to San Martin Island, in northern Baja California

Baja California

Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...

, and is found offshore from 16 to 70 meters.