Shell of moderate size, 26-28 mm., elongate-fusiform, with a bicarinate tall spire and a moderately long almost straight unnotched anterior canal. Protoconch tall of three whorls, first smooth and narrowly dome-shaped, followed by weak oblique axials, crossed on the last whorl by an incipient bicarination. Sinus peripheral, at the upper carina, a shallow broadly open V. Adult sculpture prominently bicarinate-gemmate, plus a closely spaced pair of subsutural gemmate cords, the sculptural effect on the spire-whorls often being an entire coverage of gemmules. The gemmules in the type of Watson's xanthophaes are rather weakly developed but they are much stronger in May's tasmanica. These may be taken as the extremes in a variable species. Coloration white, covered by a light horny periostracum. Operculum leaf shaped with a terminal nucleus. Range: the East Australian continental shelf from New South Wales to Tasmania and Victoria. Pliocene — Victoria.