Shell with about seven whorls, the first one and a half smooth, the others with from six to eight varices, and covered with revolving ridges; in some cases the space between the longitudinal ribs is nearly smooth, there being a series of deep pits at each side of this smooth space; in other cases the revolving ribs are continuous. The longitudinal frills characteristic of the subgenus may be faint or excessively developed; these frills are strongest on the longitudinal ribs. Often they form a series of square pits where they cross the spaces between the ribs. The aperture is exactly elliptical; the canal is moderately short, reflexed, and nearly closed; the former canals stand out with great distinctness; the inner lip is generally somewhat raised. Whitish or brownish, sometimes banded with brown,
Length, 20; diameter, 10 mm.

The shell is moderately large for the genus (maximum length 28 mm) and broadly fusiform. The spire is high, consisting of one and one-half bulbous nuclear whorls and five to seven sub-angulate postnuclear whorls. The suture is well-marked but not impressed. The body whorl is of moderate size and fusoid. The aperture is of moderate size and ovate, with a moderately deep, U-shaped anal sulcus. The outer apertural lip is erect and crenulate marginally, the crenulations reflecting the spiral sculpture of the shell. The inner surface of the outer lip is undulate, the undulations corresponding to the crenulations on the lip margin. The columellar lip is adherent above, erect below. The siphonal canal is broad above, tapering distally, and narrowly open to the right.
The body whorl bears five varices, these blade-edged at the shoulder margin. Fine axial lamellae of varying strengths occur over the entire shell surface. Spiral sculpture consists of five major cords on the body and one on the canal; a few minor cords are evident on the shoulder, alternating at times with stronger elements. On the trailing edge of each varix the cords are strongly raised, causing the interspaces to appear deeply excavated.
Shell color is pale brown, strongest on the varices. This is covered in unworn specimens by a flat-white frosting of intritacalx, laid down in axial growth striae.

Distribution: North Carolina; Gulf of Mexico, Texas; Brazil; Bermuda. Size: 25 mm.
Description: Color pale white; shape broadly ovate; sculpture of irregular convex whorls; axial sculpture with 5 to 7 low varices, which may be spinose and/or have a series of vertical laminae; spiral sculpture of ribs that extend upward at each varix to form spines; spire somewhat extended; aperture relatively small, subcircular, stained brown; siphonal canal relatively long, with earlier siphonal canals evolving into spines; operculum clawlike with apical nucleus.
Habitat: Usually found associated with oysters. Shells found at depths from 0 to 310 m (1017 ft).
Remarks: Fresh specimens have a long, upturned siphonal canal that is usually broken off at the base. See Clench and Perez-Farfante (1945).

The shell of this species exhibits a good deal of variability in form. Its proportion of width to height (slenderness vs. obesity) and the development of the varices (large, rounded, thickly imbricate vs. slender, bladelike) are both variable. The heavy, thick form, approximating in appearance that of Favartia incisa (Broderip, 1833), has been called F. cellulosa nucea (Morch, 1877)

Bermuda, the northeastern and western coasts of Florida offshore, and the Texas coast to southern Brazil.