Original description:
Pleurotoma testa subfusiformi, caudata, ventrelaevi, albida; lineis longitudinabilus undulato-angulatis spadiceis; ultimo anfracti superne angulato; spira minimi, mucronata; cauda longiuscula, striata; columella superne callosa.'
'var. testa castanea, fuscolineata'
Coquille assez jolie, renflée et subanguleuse au sommet de son dernier tour, et ayant la forme d'une massue mucronée. Longeur, un pouce. Sa varieté, qui n'en diffère que par la coloration, à 11 lignes un quart.'

The colour ranges from dark yellow to light and dark brown, more vividly coloured in the upper part of the shell, decorated with narrow brown lines, which run more or less parallel or are irregularly spread over the entire surface of the shell, and are sometimes branched. White and very dark brown shells are extremely rare. A prominent swollen white callus on the parietal wall of the inner lip reaches the suture between the last two whorls. Sometimes a very narrow paler band is visible in the subsutural area. The bottom of the columellar side is also whitish coloured. The protoconch consists of 1.5 whorls and is sometimes purplish adorned with a pattern which continues in the three following whorls. In larger specimens, the spiral grooves sometimes become very obsolete in the middle of the last whorl.
Most common are the claviform shells which have whorls with a very concavely curved outline and a body whorl which is very swollen in contrast to the spire. Subsequently there is a less or more distinct constriction above the anal area.
There is a form with convex whorls in the spire in contrast with the concave whorls in the type. It is less claviform in outline. The last whorl is smaller in height and less broad at its upper side in such a way that the labial callus and the anal sinus are situated at a lower position. Another form is distinguished from the type by its slenderer outline and a prominent longer siphonal canal. It is much like the var. gracilis, which is treated separately. Both are very rare. Measurements: 20-34.5 mm.

Geographic range: off Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CFN), Salt Point, Ghana (Strebel), Bugama, Nigeria (Strebel), Cameroon (Strebel), Black Point, Gabon (Strebel), Setta Kama, Gabon (Strebel), Loango, Gabon (Strebel), Banana, Congo (CFN), Cabinda, Angola (Strebel), Landana, Angola (Strebel), Cacuaco, N of Luanda, Angola (CFN, MNHN), Luanda Bay, Angola (CFN), Mussulo, Angola (Strebel), Quicombo, Angola (Strebel), Ambriz, Angola (Strebel), Cabo Ledo, Prov. Luanda, Angola (CFN, MNHN), Barra do Dande, Prov. Bengo, Angola (CFN, MNHN).
Habitat: in sand or muddy sand. Depth: 2-40 m