Described in French (click French flag)

This species is typically very small, about 3.5 to 5.5 mm long with 3 to 5 teleoconch whorls. The protoconch is conical and often slightly tilted, with 4.25 to 4.5 smooth whorls and a deep velar sinus. The shell itself is fusiform and glossy, with slightly separated spiral ribs crossing barely discernible low axial ribs, giving the shell a beaded appearance. The labial edge is denticulate internally. Colour and pattern vary in this species; the base colour of the shell is typically white; brown markings, if present, may be light or dark, and are in the form of vague or distinct blotches, or occasionally spiral lines.
This species is generally quite common in the southwest Pacific, and may be collected in large numbers in some locations. It is sometimes confused with a similar species, Zafrona striatula (Dunker, 1871), but the latter is larger, typically 7 to 8.5 mm in length. The expedition collected 34 dry shells from 3 stations, between 1 and 20 m deep.

Protoconch of 4-4,5 smooth whorls. Spiral cords on teleoconch are thickened where they cross the axial ribs. Colour pattern variable. Most of the 600 specimens that have been examined are dirty creamy white with a paler spiral band at mid-body whorl, but other specimens are dark brown, or creamy white bearing quadrangular brown blotches, or creamy white with dark brown streaks on the blotches, or creamy white with continuous brown spiral lines (typical of P. retiaria). Adult length varies from 4,1 to 5,1 mm. Empty shells found at every depth from 12 m to 225 m and alive under stones at 12 m. Common on Reunion.

Tropical Indo-West Pacific to Reunion and Natal.