A refined whelk with numerous spiral cords and straw-coloured periostracum, Buccinum kurilensis is a cold-water buccinid endemic to the southern Kuril Islands. Two of the many spiral cords are thicker than the rest and are slightly raised to make the spire appear angulated, the extent of which is somewhat variable among individuals. The siphonal canal is often slightly recurved in large specimens. A carnivorous and possibly scavenging gastropod, it inhabits soft bottoms of deep water around -400~700m. An extremely rare species partly due to its difficult to access and narrow distribution range, it virtually never appears on the shell trade market. It is a medium-sized Buccinum with a typical shell length around 60mm., although extremely large specimens may reach 80mm.

Pacific coast of Urup Island, Kuril Islands