The shell is small to moderate in size (maximum length 70 mm) and fusiform. The spire is high, consisting of one and one-half nuclear whorls and eight or nine convex postnuclear whorls. The suture is impressed. The body whorl is moderately large and fusoid. The aperture is moderate in size and ovate, with a small, shallow anal sulcus. The outer apertural lip is barely erect and minutelv dentate; its interior is finely lirate. The columellar lip is weakly denticulate at its posterior end and adherent for its entire length. The siphonal canal is moderate in length, broad, very narrowly open to the right, and distally recurved.
The body whorl bears three low varices. Additional axial sculpture consists of three or four low ridges, these strongest at the shoulder, in each intervarical space. Spiral sculpture consists of numerous low cords of equal strength. Where the cords cross the intervarical ridges, nodules are formed, these enhancing the reticulate pattern. Almost no projection is produced where the cords cross the varix, except anteriorly, where a more or less well-defined webbing or flange is produced on each varix.
The final varix is much more developed than the earlier varices. The entire shell is covered with fine threads, these crossed by fine axial lamellae. The ventral surface of the final varix is richly laminate.
Shell color is variable, consisting generally of a white base, spiral bands of chestnut-brown, purple-brown, or gray-brown, and brown blotches distributed at random over the shell. Some eastern African populations have pure white individuals intermingled with typically colored specimens.

Naquetia trigonula: The shell is moderately small (maximum length 55 mm) and fusiform. The spire is moderately high to high, consisting of one and one-half nuclear whorls and five or six convex postnuclear whorls. The suture is impressed. The body whorl is large and fusoid. The aperture is moderately small and ovate, with a moderately small, shallow, parictally demarcated anal sulcus. The outer apertural lip is essentially nonerect and finely crenulate. The columellar lip is smooth and entirely adherent. The siphonal canal is moderately long, exceedingly narrowly open to the right, and distally recurved.
The body whorl bears three varices, all of which are low and rounded posteriorly, more developed anteriorly. Other intervarical axial sculpture consists of two or three narrow costae. Spiral sculpture consists of ten broadly spaced major cords, these starting at the shoulder margin and extending to the tip of the canal. In the space between each two major cords are one or two minor cords and numerous fine spiral threads. The entire shell, when unworn, is covered with fine axial lamellae, these becoming raised over the spiral elements and imparting a finely scabrous appearance to the shell surface. Where the cords intersect the axial elements, prominent nodes are formed. The anterior half of each varix is developed into a moderately broad, thin, pleated webbing. There is a sharp demarcation between the webbing, which appears to be an extension of the dorsal sculpture, and the remainder of the outer apertural lip, which is densely fimbriate on its ventral surface.
Shell color is yellow to buff, with two or three spiral brown bands on the body and irregular brown blotches scattered at random over the shell surface.

Although the range of this species overlaps that of N. triqueter throughout the entire Indian
Ocean, N. triqueter is apparently more common in the Indian Ocean; N. trigonula is more common in the western Pacific, with the point of greatest overlap being in the Philippines. Isolated examples of rarely occurring forms intermediate between N. trigonula and N. triquetra, presumably hybrids, have been brought to our attention.

LATER SYNONYMISED!

Shell up to 70 mm in length, with a conical protoconch of 3.5 whorls and weakly shouldered, convex teleoconch whorls. Axial aculpture consisting of 3 broad, rounded varices, more developed abapically. Other axial sculpture of 2-4 narrow, nodose, intervarical ridges. Spiral sculpture of squamous primary, secondary and tertiary cords. Spiral sculpture of subsutural ramp of last whorl with adis, IP, (abis) followed by P1, s1, P2, s2, P3, t, s3, t, P4, s4, P5, P6, s6, t, ADP, MP, ABP, (abs), t on convex part of shell and siphonal canal. Aperture ovate. Columellar lip smooth, rim adherent. Outer lip denticulate, with narrow, elongate denticles within. Siphonal canal short, broad, narrowly ventrally open, weakly dorsally bent, with 3 or 4 short, squamous ADP, MP, ABP, and abs spines. White or pale brown with darker bands, especially visible on varices and darker blotches on axial ridges. Ventral side of siphonal canal lighter coloured. Aperture white.
Radula with crowded rows of teeth with a broad, long, triangular, acute central cusp, short, narrowly triangular lateral denticles and broad, long, triangular, lateral cusps. Lateral tooth sickle shaped, broad.

Naquetia triqueter is difficult to separate from N. vokesae except by using its conical protoconch morphology consisting of 3.5 whorls, ending with a sinusigera terminal lip attesting to a planktotrophic larval development, compared to a lecithotrophic, rounded and paucispiral protoconch of 1.5 to 2 whorls in N. vokesae.
Merle et al. (2011: pl. 79, fig. 3) illustrated a specimen from Reunion but we know of no other records of N triqueter in the Western Indian Ocean. All specimens (or lot of specimens) from the eastern African coast in which a protoconch, or a partial protoconch could be observed proved to be N vokesae. We therefore remain dubious about the presence of N triqueter in the Western Indian Ocean.

Eastern Africa (Zanzibar, Mozambique) to the Philippines and Okinawa.

Type locality. Murex triqueter: East Indies and Tranquebar, restricted to Tranquebar, India by Vokes (1974); M. roseotinctus: Philippines.
Distribution. Indo-W. Pac. (IP); C. Pac. Andaman Islands (Subba Rao, 2003), Christmas Is, Indian Ocean (Wells et al., 1990); Straits of Makassar, the Moluccas, Vietnam, The Philippine Islands, Okinawa, Japan, Papua New Guinea and other localities in the Pacific Ocean with the Tuamotus as the eastern limit. A specimen from Reunion Island was illustrated by Merle et al. (2011: pi. 79, fig. 3) but to our knowledge that species was never recorded from the western Indian Ocean.