Shell small, oval, conical; apex at or a little back of the anterior fifth of the shell's length. Surface having delicate, almost obsolete radiating striae and delicate growth lines. Color a delicate pink, with numerous (about 13) pink rays. Upper part of the cone buffish-white. Inside pink or white, center flesh-colored or opaque white. Length 9-10, breadth 6,75-9 mm., alt. 3,5-4 mm.

Shell approximately conical without marginal slit, apical hole or internal septum. Apex tilted forwards, about one third of shell length behind anterior end. Surface smooth with pink lines on white-yellow background, the lines often broken to give a chequered pattern; internally shell is white or pink and smaller shells have a dark red V-shaped mark with the point near the apex and the arms diverging posteriorly. Mantle edge with red bands under those of the shell; no marginal tentacles and no pallia! gills; a ctenidium in the nuchal cavity. Foot without epipodial tentacles and operculum. The shell is smaller and smoother than that of Collisella tessulata, the beak close to the anterior end, which is narrower than the posterior. In sublittoral animals the apex is more central. Up to 10 mm long, 8 mm broad, 4mm high.
The head has a broad snout with two tentacles each with a small eye at its base, but these are unpigmented in some animals and then do not show. The lips round the mouth are drawn out into posterior lobes. Flesh white, yellow or pale pink; mantle edge with glands which are, some chalk white, others scarlet.

On the basis of anatomical and microstructural studies, Lindberg (1986) sets this species, previously assigned to the genus Acmaea (family Acmaeidae), in the family Lottiidae.
Shell patelliform, solid, depressed, oval in outline, apex protuberant placed near anterior margin. Surface either smooth or crossed by either very thin concentric growth striae or fine radial striae. Peristome simple, sharp, bright inside, aperture roundish in form with a cal-losity in the deeper part. Usually light pink in colour with some darker radial bands visible internally too. Also in its juvenile stage it is easily recognizable from the other Mediterranean similar ones due to its colour, solidity and apex form.
There were described some varieties in form and colour such as: rotundata Monterosato, conica and lactea Jeffreys, 1865, of no taxonomic value.

Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas; Atlantic from Norway and Iceland to the Canaries, Azores and Cape Verde Is., low water to 60 fms.

A. virginea may be collected at L.W.S.T. and to depths of 100 m. It is common in and out of rock pools, attached to the underside of smooth, fixed stones with a growth of red weeds, especially Lithothamnion, on which it feeds. It occurs throughout the British Isles wherever the substratum is suitable and is generally distributed on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe.

Habitat: it lives fixed to stones in the infralittoral zone, rarely found in bigger depths too. Distribution: it is collected all over the Mediterranean, common enough.