Shell of small to moderate size, 8-27 mm., claviform, with a tall turreted spire but a truncated body-whorl, terminated in a short, boardly and shallowly notched anterior canal. Protoconch of 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 smooth and polished whorls, carinate or subcarinate towards its close, followed by a quarter whorl of brephic axials. Sinus deep, with a broadly rounded apex, occupying most of the shoulder slope. Adult sculpture of narrowly rounded spirals crossed by lamellate axials, thickened medially and mostly nodular or tubercular at the peripheral angle; sometimes fenestrate or finely gemmate over the rest of the shell. Operculum ovate, with a medio-lateral nucleus. Paradrillia closely resembles Vexitomina but that genus has a leaf-shaped operculum with a terminal nucleus. Range — Recent, Madagascar, Persian Gulf to Japan and Queensland, Pliocene of Formosa, Okinawa and Japan and Miocene of Java.

Shell moderately small to medium-sized (8-30 mm), claviform. with high, acute spire and short, rather broad, distinctly notched siphonal canal; labrum thin, sometimes lirate inside, anal sinus moderately deep, openly U-shaped, situated on shoulder slope, stromboid notch shallow or absent; parietal callus not forming a distinct pad or nodule posteriorly; subsutural cord fairly strong, more or less nodular, shoulder sulcus well-developed, narrow; sculpture of long, sometimes somewhat lamellate axial ribs, crossed by strong spiral lirae, shoulder with a row of conspicuous nodules: no prelabral varix; colour drab. Protoconch somewhat conical of 1,5-3 whorls, last 1-2 whorls medially carinate, usually with arcuate axial riblets preceding termination, or even extending over entire last whorl. Operculum oblanceolate, normally with terminal nucleus. Radula of awl-shaped marginal teeth, trough-shaped in transverse-section, with a collar near base.