Shell average to large for the genus, solid, with a porcellaneous texture. Holotype: 37.2 mm in length. 12 mm in width. The protoconch whorls are broken in all specimens, but the holotype has a large part of the protoconch whorls intact: these are cream colored, transluscent, slightly globose and not particularly raised. There are 10 teleoconch whorls, the body whorl being very large, covering almost 2/3 of the shell length and with the aperture usually larger than half the shell length. The suture is only visible in the first whorls, and hard to detect in the later whorls. It is as hidden in the spiral sculpture. This sculpture is particular and consists of primary and secondary spiral ribs mainly. These alternate in a very regular way. Between these ribs that are very raised, a channel, either concave, occasionally a little V-shaped, which is covered by numerous axial ribs. Between the top of the aperture and the suture of the last whorl there are 4 primary ribs and 3 secondary ribs. The aperture has a convex and transluscent lip which is not thickened and crenulate. The columellar path has 5 folds: the upper 3 ones very prominent. A fasciole is present. The pattern consists of brown spiral lines on top of the spiral ribs. This pattern is more pronounced and thicker, set in flecks that alternate in width, on top of the primary spiral lines. There is a broad dark band of irregular strength just below the periphery. The color of the spiral ribs occasionally extends on the columellar folds. While the first teleoconch whorls are pale, the following ones are a little darker in color. The base color of the shell becomes pinkish white on the four last whorls only.

This species has been confused for many years with uZiba insculpta (A. Adams. 1853)" Our understanding today is that Subcancilla insculpta is an Indian Ocean species with a range limited to Reunion Island (Drivas, 1988). Mozambique (Natal Museum), India (Wolff coll.). Mayotte [Comoros] (Robin & Martin, 2004), South Africa (Steyn & Lussi, 1998), Gulf of Oman (Bosch et al.. 1995) and Sri Lanka (original description). The confusion started with the black and white photograph of the lectotype of S. insculpta by Cernohorsky ( 1991: 58. Plate 50) which shows an elongate shell, much similar in shape to S. philpoppei.
Differences between S. insculpta and S. baisei are obvious: In S. insculpta. the last whorl is larger and the spire smaller, the shape is more slender, and the broadest diameter is placed much higher on the body whorl than in S. baisei.The sculpture in S. insculpta is more beaded with smooth pearls and the spiral ribs are less sharp, not cutting as in S. baisei. The coloration in S. insculpta consists of irregular reddish-brown flames, while in S. baisei the base color is usually cream with a central broad spiral band. S. baisei has pronounced dark spiral lines on top of the spiral ribs - occasionally absent or interrupted. These are much weaker and hardly visible in S. insculpta.

TYPE LOCALITY
The Philippines. North Bohol. Pandanon Island, about one kilometer to the north of this small Island.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
This is a typical mud species that prefers bottoms between 10 and 25 m deep. Apart from the Olango specimen and the Nucnucan shell, all other types have been taken alive either by the first or second author. Especially active at night. Apart from the Philippines, this species is known from Vietnam (Coll. Rosenthal). New Caledonia (Arnaud a I.. 2002) and the Solomon Islands (Coll. R. Salisbury).