Turbiniform shell with a maximum observed height of 19.3 mm, apex somewhat flattened. Suture impressed, adapical part of whorls with strong axial ribs ending just above periphery. Adapical part of whorl with strong spiral ribs, followed by a groove plus 2-3 stronger spiral ribs and a groove on the periphery. Just below periphery a strong spiral band and towards base first 4-5 medium-sized spiral ribs, followed by 4-5 broader spiral ribs towards umbilicus. Umbilicus narrow and deep, bordered by one thick spiral rib ending in a tooth at the abapical part of columella. Aperture white nacreous, inside outer lip with 17-21 strong spiral lirae reaching deep into aperture. Operculum round, multispiral, with concave outer surface and conical internal surface, brownish yellow.
Colour. - Shell whitish, with fine red or blackish dots on the spiral ribs. Additional axial to oblique red streaks from suture to periphery, occasionally those streaks cross periphery. Peripheral stronger spiral ribs may be just finely dotted red, or some specimens may have larger red dots. Spiral band below periphery with large red dots, often as extension of the red streaks on base. Spiral ribs on base with finer to coarser red dots, which may be arranged in a kind of oblique streaks. Spiral rib bordering umbilicus has strong pink colour, inside umbilicus with weaker pink colour.

This species is easy to recognize because of the pink spiral ribs on the base around the umbilicus in addition to the pink colour inside the umbilicus. The lectotype of Trochus fanuloides, described from an unknown locality, conforms to this species, the rounded whorls with strong axial ribs, the pinkish spiral rib along the margin of the umbilicus and the tiny black dots present on the abapical peripheral spiral rib are diagnostic.

Habitat. - Found in 34-110 m, living 34-70 m (Herbert 2015: 66) in SE Africa; in Kenya obtained alive by dredge, no mention of depth (Fowler, 2016: 14); in the Gulf of Oman empty specimens were mostly found on the beach, but they originate from sediments dredged up by harbour construction activities, one sample was dredged at 30 m.
Distribution. - Mozambique south to South Africa, northern Zululand (Herbert, 2015: 66), Kenya (Fowler, 2016) and the Gulf of Oman.
The patchy distribution is probably a result of the deeper habitat of this species, making it less easy to obtain. Records from between the known locations are scarce, but some specimens recorded by Melvill (1909: 80) may turn out to be this species.