The shell is moderately large (maximum length 110 mm) and fusiform. The spire is high, consisting of two and one-half nuclear whorls and nine convex postnuclear whorls. The suture is impressed. The body whorl is moderately large and somewhat elongate. The aperture is broadly ovate, with a broad, moderately deep anal sulcus, this reinforced by a spiral parietal ridge; in some cases, one or two other elongate ridges follow the topmost parietal ridge. The interior of the outer apertural lip, above the shoulder spine, bears three or four small, sharp lirae; below, the lip is slightly erect and finely denticulate, with lirations leading from these fine teeth into the aperture. The columellar lip is adherent except for its extreme anterior portion, which is slightly detached; the margin of the inner lip may be smooth, but in some eases numerous small nodules or denticles occur along its entire length. The siphonal canal is moderately long, strongly recurved, tapering anteriorly, and narrowly, centrally open.
The body whorl bears three low, foliose varices. Other axial sculpture consists of one to three intervarical ridges, these more or less tuberculate at the shoulder. Spiral sculpture consists of primary that may bear close-set scales or fine nodes. Where the cords intersect the varices, five or six primary and secondary short, foliated spines are developed, their length increasing anteriorly. A gap in spination occurs at the base of the body. Three spines found on the canal are similar to the spines above except that they arise closer to the rear edge of the varix. The uppermost of the three canal spines is sharply recurved.
Shell color is light brown to dark chestnut-brown, with darker color on the spiral cords. The aperture is generally white within, yellow-orange marginally.

Generally throughout the entire Indo-West Pacific.