Psilaxis radiatus is found in lagoon sandy areas. At times they can be common, crawling over the sand even in daylight. Other times they may be entirely absent. This species is very similar to Psilaxis oxytropis, and there does seem to be some intergrading in color. Apparently one of the features that distinguishes the two species is brown staining on the protoconch (the earliest whorls of the shell) in P. oxytropis while that in P. radiatus is pure white. It seems a small difference, and I am not completely convinced that the two species, at least the specimens found at Kwajalein, are truly separate.
A larger one with a couple of juveniles.
A young shell starting to develop darker color on the outer whorl.
Created 18 April 2017
Updated 30 March 2020