Shell. A tall, narrow, conical shell, glossy and nearly transparent, the apical angle about 15°. The spire has a bulbous apex and is nearly straight-sided in profile, neglecting the curvature of the whorls, which are swollen and meet at moderately deep sutures sited well below the periphery of the upper whorl. There are 9 or 10 whorls in all. The ornament is elaborate and comprises both costae and spiral elements. The former are delicate and flexuous, narrower than the intervening spaces, cross the whorls of the spire and extend to the base of the last whorl. They are markedly prosocline at the adapical suture, become gently opisthocline but change direction again about the periphery of the whorl to an equally gentle prosocline slant at the abapical suture. There are 30 or more costae on each basal whorl, decreasing to about 20 on the most adapical of the adult shell. The spiral component of the ornament comprises a number of ridges, less well developed than the costae, and confined to the intercostal areas, each ridge turning a little basally before joining the costae bounding an intercostal area. They are slight or absent on the subsutural part of each whorl, occur over the remainder of the whorls in the spire but are reduced or absent on the base of the last whorl. There are 10-11 on the more basal whorls, 1 or 2 fewer on the more adapical, the apical 2 (larval) smooth. Costae and spiral ridges cover the bulk of the surface of the whorls with a slightly oblong cancellation, the costae always a little more conspicuous than the ridges. The protoconch is rather large and bulbous, with about 2 tumid and smooth whorls abruptly separated from the first adult whorl. It measures about 65 µm in diameter and 130 µm in height. Aperture. Oval, surrounded by a peristome. The outer lip arises below the periphery of the last whorl about level with the most abapical ridge and normal to the surface. It curves smoothly to the base of the columella, showing a small anal sinus and an equally slight peripheral bulge. The columella is thin and nearly straight; behind it lies a shallow groove but there is no umbilicus. Colour. White to cream. Size. 2.0-2.5 x 0.5-0.6 mm. Last whorl = 35-40% of total shell height; aperture = c. 20% of total shell height.
Animal. The head carries a rather narrow snout with the mouth at its tip and the tentacles at its base, each with a sessile eye nearly centrally placed. They are blunt-tipped and held more or less at right angles to the body. The mantle edge is plain and carries a single tentacle on the right. The foot is slender, its anterior end with a median notch and the lateral corners drawn out to tentaculiform processes. On the anterodorsal surface lies a nearly square propodium. The foot is pointed behind and bears a thin operculum. Colour. White, with brown-black on the snout and sides of the head, along the ctenidium and rectum.

Geographical distribution. From the Mediterranean north to southern Norway. There are records from many parts of the British Isles, mostly rather old and presumably of dead shells, but though widespread it is rare, or missed because of its habitat and small size.
Habitat. On muddy and sandy bottoms from LWST to 30 m.