Shell robust and compact, up to 9 mm in diameter, large for the genus. The diameter is larger than the height and the height of the spire is half of the total shell height. Color is ivory white but a brightly metallic tinge develops over the apex and after the 3rd teleoconch and a nacreous glaze sprays over the whole whorl surface. The protoconch consists of 1 convex whorl which is clearly demarcated. Teleoconch of up to 4 whorls, with a reticulate sculpture and hypertrophic spiral cords. Axial costae with dense nodules at their intersections. The early whorls start as a horizontal sutural ramp while P 1 is the smallest cord and P 3 is the largest cord at the 1st teleoconch. The ramp becomes more and more steep, then P 1 is larger than P 2 and P 2 is larger than P 3 after the 3rd teleoconch. While P 1 and P 2 consecutively develop their secondary cords at the 3rd and 4th teleoconch, the ramp descends gently towards maturity. There are 3 cords at early whorls, 4 cords at penultimate whorls and 7 cords at the body whorls, with the abapical P 7 flat and the widest of all. The spiral cords are much wider and higher than the numerous prosocline axial ribs. There are 26 to 28 axial ribs on the 2nd teleoconch, 22 to 24 axial ribs on the 3rd teleoconch and 28 to 30 axial ribs on the 4th teleoconch. The base is gently contracted and convex. The umbilicus is narrow, steep and perspective to the shell apex. In full maturity the columella is thick, porcellanous and with a tubercle at midportion. The aperture is subcircular and inclined backward. The inner lip is relatively thin compared to the thickened outer lip, which is porcellanous with 14 double rows of round uneven-sized denticles when adult. The pale brown operculum is corneous and circular and has a central nucleus with few volutions.

The main characteristics of this species are:
♦ height up to 8.4 mm, width up to 9 mm;
♦ moderately elevated spire;
♦ teleoconch cyrtoconoidal, of about 4 convex whorls with 3 granular spiral cords on penultimate whorl; rounded periphery;
♦ 3 spiral cords PI, P2 and P3, sometimes with already additional SI, on the penultimate whorl; S2 possible; P4 visible on the last whorl; axial threads between cords, making a cancellate sculpture;
♦ aperture subcircular to weakly elliptical, with about 14 couple of denticles on outer lip;
♦ base convex, with 4 thick spiral cords; distance between cords about 1.5x width of cords;
♦ rather wide umbilicus, partly covered by a small parietal callus;
♦ teleoconch first whorls nacreous ivory, last whorls bronze on Taiwanese samples.

This single specimen from Solomon Islands, coupled with a single record in the Philippines (G.Poppe, personal communication) extends greatly the distribution of this recently described species.

This new species can be easiely distinguished by its low-set apex, inflated whorls, hypertrophic spiral cords and its clearly visible umbilicus compared to other species of the genus. Vaceuchelus vangoethemi Poppe, Tagaro & Dekker, 2006 is more slender with a wide and strong axial intercalation and the umbilicus is covered by a columellar callus.

South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, 220-350 m (original description); Solomon Islands, 282-427 m (dd).

TYPE LOCALITY
Off Donggong, Pingtung, Taiwan Strait; 220 to 350 m deep on a muddy bottom.
RANGE AND HABITAT
Only known from the type locality off Donggong in the southern Taiwan Straits, trawled by local fishing boats midway between Liuqiu Island and Hengchun Peninsula, 220 to 350 m deep, on a surface of sunken wood over a muddy bottom.