Shell dextral, large solid, the spire usually longer than the aperture; the sculpture very variable but usually strong; the periostracum thin, dehiscent; the nucleus swollen, with several hardly increasing whorls forming a subcylindrical tip to the spire in most cases; aperture of moderate size, the outer lip slightly expanded and hardly thickened; pillar smooth, short, callous; canal short, wide hardly recurved; operculum smaller than the aperture, subovate with apical nucleus; radula peculiar, with an edentate rhachidian plate, the laterals formed by single strong cups with the tip incurved and two or more small blunt denticles on the inner edge near the middle. (Dall.)
TYPE. Chrysodomus crebricostatus Dall.
DISTRIBUTION. Arctic to British Columbia, Japan.

Diagnosis. Shells large, robust, usually with tall profile, aperture large; early whorls extended. Axial sculpture (when present) of weak to strong folds; spiral sculpture variable, fine lirae or riblets to coarse flattened cords with deeply channeled interspaces. Periostracum thin, flaking or adherent, lamellar in some species. Egg cases oval, disc shaped, attached along one edge and deposited in linear series to Substrate.
Remarks: In the Aleutians 14 species are recognized, including nine new species.

The genus is characterized by its short, indistinct siphonal canal, small aperture and the radula with a cuspless central and claw-like, bicuspidate lateral teeth. There is a single N Atlantic and a few N Pacific species. B. crebricostatus is quite similar to B. turtoni in the shell characters, but the sculpture of crebricostatus consists of very strong spiral ribs.
Friele's name was rejected by ICZN (Opinion 469, 1957) because it was supposed to be blasphemous. Jumala was a lappish name for the Christian god. At this decision the older and available name Brongus De Gregorio, 1885 was overlooked, but we have selected a type species for Brongus so it becomes a junior synonym of Colus to keep stability in the nomenclature.
Beringius brychius (Verrill & Smith, 1885) is here referred to Belomitra (sec that genus).
The radula of Beringius was the reason why Habc & Sato (1973) placed the genus in the subfamily Liomesusinae (sic!). Japelion Dall, 1916 and the questionable genus Noeberingius Habe & Ito, 1965 have a radula very similar to Beringius and arc probably closely related, as the shells also indicate. Liomesus on the contrary has quite a different shell, and the similarities in the radula arc caused by enlargement of the base of a normal buccinid lateral tooth in Beringius while in Liomesus there is reduction of the inner cusps of the same tooth. When drawings of the teeth are compared, this difference is not evident, but in SEM pictures it is.