The shell of Urosalpinx cinerea is knobby having rugged whorls (turns of the shell) with rounded shoulders usually numbering 5. Each complete turn of the Atlantic oyster has 9-12 vertical, rounded ribs crossed with 15 rows of thinner spiral ridges. The aperture (opening through which the snail moves in and out of the shell) of U. cinerea is oval with an open canal at the base. Shells are usually yellow sometimes orange, grey or white and occasionally bearing brown streaks. The interior of the shell can be purple, red-brown or yellow. The operculum (the plate that closes to protect the snail when it is inside its shell) can be orange or yellow-brown.U. cinerea, a mollusk in the family Muricidae, is considered a major pest among the world's bivalve fisheries (Robinson and Dillon 2008). In colder waters, this species will be dormant throughout the winter and emerge in April to feed (Franz 1971).