Thais lacera resembles Thais costata (Blainville, 1832) in many respects, but differs in that has 1) more sharply angular whorls, 2) more prominent peripheral spiny tubercles and 3) wider fasciole. An additional spiny keel develops on the shoulder slope of later whorls.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. The species is rather common in the Indo-Pacific and ranges from South Africa to the Philippines and Taiwan; it has recently entered the Mediterranean via Suez Canal (BARASH & DANIN, 1972). Thais lacera is an intertidal and shallow subtidal element recovered from different substrates. It occurs on rocky shores of Malaya and Singapore, being locally abundant on rather bare, muddy rocks (PURCHON & PURCHON, 1981). According to TANTANASIRIWONGANA (1978), the species has been trawled from muddy bottoms at depths of 8-12 m in western Thai wa¬ters.
FOSSIL RECORDS. Pliocene and Quaternary of Indonesia; Holocene of Thailand.