Shell up to 47.0 mm (about 2 inches) in length, heavy and solid, elongate-ovate and often inflated, sutures distinct but narrowly incised. Whorls 6-7, apart from a protoconch of 2 light brown, smooth nuclear whorls, spire whorls distinctly convex, last whorl usually inflated, sculptured with narrowly incised spiral grooves which usually produce feebly elevated cords which number from 2-8 on the penultimate and from 5-15 on the body whorl; in most specimens, however, the body whorl has only up to half a dozen spiral threads at the shoulder, the centre of the whorl is smooth and the lower third has oblique spiral cords. Under magnification very fine axial striae are visible. Aperture usually longer than the spire, moderately wide and smooth within, outer lip convex or sometimes subangulate anteriorly and weakly constricted posteriorly, interior callus weak in most specimens, margin of outer lip thickened and smooth, or with weak traces of a few denticles anteriorly. Columella calloused anteriorly', and with 4-5 prominent, oblique folds, parietal wall only glazed but posteriorly with a small white callus pad in adult specimens; siphonal fasciole straight, occasionally weakly calloused, siphonal notch very prominent. Chestnut-brown to blackish-brown in colour, ornamented with narrow, wavy white axial stripes which are usually interrupted centrally or may be continuous, and are broken up into small spots towards the base; in some individuals the axial stripes are replaced by a narrow or broad, faint or distinct, orange-brown or white subsutural band, while a few rare individuals lack all kinds of ornamentation. Aperture and columellar folds white or bluish-white, occasionally flushed with light brown, parietal wall brown. Periostracum thin, brown and translucent.

As Mitra carifa:
Shell rather large, elongate-ovate, brown, excepting two spiral cords that form the anterior half of the whorls between the sutures, which are yellow:. Nuclear whorls decollated. Postnuclear whorls narrowly, roundly shouldered at the summit, the rest marked by four strong, broad, flattened, spiral cords between the sutures, which in turn are marked by spiral lirations. The axial sculpture consists of fine, retractive threads, which are best developed in the grooves that separate the spiral cords. Suture slightly channeled. Periphery not markedly differentiated. Base rather long, marked by 18 low, feebly rounded, spiral cords, which become more distantly spaced, more elevated, and narrower anteriorly. These cords are crossed by microscopic spiral lirations. The axial threads are continued on the base. A varix is apparent a little behind the aperture. Aperture bluish white, narrowly ovate, channeled anteriorly, posterior angle acute; outer lip reflected, provided with 14 strong denticles; inner lip strongly developed, reflected over the base with the edge free; pro-vided with five strong, oblique folds and three weaker ones between the posterior four. These weaker folds join the posterior strong neighbor at their outer edge. The strong folds decrease in strength successively from the posterior anteriorly. Parietal wall glazed by a (bin callus.
The type and another specimen, Cat. No. 272154, U.S.N.M., came to the United States National Museum in a donation from Mr. John B. Henderson, in a collection purchased by him from Sowerby and Fulton, labelled: 11 Mitra limbifera Lamarck, from South Africa," while the pages of this paper were going through press. I am therefore unable to include a figure of it. It differs from limbifera by being much more strongly sculptured than that species, also in the number of the columellar plaits. The type has eight whorls, and measures: Length, 29.4 mm.; diameter, 12.4 mm.

The species is common in the centre of its distributional range, but is rare in the western Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. It is variable iu colour, being blackish-brown with white axial stripes or a pale subsutural zone on the body whorl; some individuals lack ornamentation altogether. The handed colour form has been described as M, amphorella Lamarck.

Gulf of Aden to India and Polynesia. On reefs, under rocks and coral, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 3 fathoms.