Shell solid, rather squatly conical; spire with sutures set in deep notches of profile. Surface with coarse lattice of costae and spiral ridges, the former running to base of last whorl. Aperture broad with labial varix and teeth within outer lip; columella broad with tubercle near its base.
The shell is glossy and may be a little transparent. There are 6-7 whorls bearing prosocline costae and spiral ridges, 15-17 costae and seven spirals on the last whorl, 15 and 3-4 on the penult, and 13 and two respectively on the others except the larval ones which show spiral lines of points, often eroded. The aperture frequently has a small spout below the columellar tuber¬cle; there are 11-13 teeth within the outer lip. In young shells the outer lip lacks a varix, has a thin, crenated edge, and the teeth and columellar tubercle have not developed. White or yellowish, sometimes with spiral bands; if these are present the commonest is a subsutural one on each whorl; this may be supplemented by a transverse one alongside the varix and by a sub-peripheral spiral one on the last whorl. The throat commonly shows some chestnut coloration internal to the varix which, with the peristome, is always white. Up to 4 mm high, 2.5 mm broad; last whorl occupies 70% of shell height, aperture 45%.
A. cancellata is a southern species at its northern limits in the British Isles. It has been recorded from isolated localities in Ireland and the British west coast as far north as Shetland, but is frequent in the south west of the area. It usually lives sublittorally to depths of 90 m, but may very occasionally be found under stones at L.W.S.T. It is a detritivore. Its reproduction is unknown but may include a free larval stage.

Dimensions of adult shell 2,7x1,8 to 3,7x2,4 mm. Protoconch multispiral with 2 1/2 rounded whorls, clearly demarcated from teleoconch. The surface of the protoconch shows tiny granules arranged spirally, those next lo the suture joining to form a tenuous spiral thread. Teleoconch with 3 1/2 whorls. Sculpture strongly clathrate; a very tenuous spiral microsculpture can be seen under SEM observation. Whorls with two or three very coarse beaded cords (the third one commonly concealed by the suture) on spire intersecting with axial ribs. Body whorl with six spiral cords intersecting with the axial ribs, the most posterior more prominent and distant from the suture so as to give the whorl a shouldered aspect, the most anterior forming a beaded ridge; there is a vestigial seventh cord next to the aperture. Aperture with very thick outer rim, strongly indented by termination of the cords, internally with 7-9 denticles reaching far inside. Shell colour tawny, paler on apertural rim and anterior part of body whorl; sometimes darker along the suture and next to the rim; some shells are white or very pale.
Head with bilobed snout, and tiny jaws seen by transparency. Tentacles slender and tapering, colourless. There are two yellowish white clusters of granules behind the eyes, and a tawny hue along the axis of the snout. Foot rather broad and flat, tapering posteriorly, with distinct anterior pedal gland and a small cluster of three metapodial tentacles.There are two folds, one on each side behind the head, forming neck lobes, and rather small opercular lobes with a few whitish specks on their anterior part. The pair of pallial tentacles are large, conspicuous and colourless.

Shell solid, vitreous, conic in outline, suture deep. Surface crossed by a coarse reticulum made by axial and spiral ribs giving the shell a spiny aspect. Over its mouth there are always three spiral belts. Roundish in aperture with labial varix spiny it itself, denticulations inside lip. At the base of culumella it is visible a typical and large nodule. Protoconch multispiral and planktotrophic, it presents spiral rows of small pits very often eroded. Almost always yellowish in colour with spines darker, rarely with spiral streaks, its mouth is white in colour. It is often present an additional varix. . Even juvenile specimens are easily recognizable from hirta due to colour and to number of spiral belts. The study of typical material of A. cancellina Locard, 1892 from Amati (1987) allowed to establish the synonymy with cancellata. Average measures of adult specimens reach 5 mm in height.

Specimens from the European mainland, observed at Saint Jean de Luz, Bay of Biscay were found to differ by a reddish (instead of colourless) buccal mass seen by transparency, and the cluster of metapodial tentactcs being clearly pedunculate instead of sessile as here. No difference could be seen in shells. Considering the plankto-trophic development indicated by the multispiral larval shell, and the occurrence of morphologically similar populations in Canary Islands and Madeira, it is assumed that they are conspecific.
Alvania laxa is established on a juvenile shell and a fragment of outer lip collected from deep water (1385 m) and which I presume to be transported downslope; the smallest syntype has a multispiral protoconch, I consider it a synonym of A. cancellata.
The taxa A. cancellina and A . venter are based on variation in the shell shape, with smaller size, shorter spire and two instead of three cords on spire whorls. These characters have been observed to vary within any population.

Habitat: it lives in the infralittoral zone on stiff substrata. Distribution: it can be found all over the Mediterranean. Quite common.