A description of this species was provided by VERDUIN (1984).
Shell somewhat fragile, almost transparent and colourless,with four whorls, reaching up to 1.5 x 0.6 mm. The body whorl occupies about 70% of the total height, while aperture encompasses nearly 40%. Outer lip somewhat thickened. Sculpture of almost equidistant furrows demarcating spiral cords wider than the furrows. These cords (about sixteen) are visible only in the body whorl. In the first whorls there is only one spiral groove near the suture and a wide suprasutural furrow can be observed.
Paucispiral protoconch with approximately 1.25 whorls and 310 µm in diameter (nucleus about 125 µm). The sculpture of the protoconch consists of about six fine spiral microcordlets.

HOENSELAAR & HOENSELAAR (1994) illustrated and pointed out the dif-ferences with the Mediterranean Crisilla marioni (Fasulo & Gaglini, 1987) ex Monterosato ms., species with which it had been previously related by VERDUIN (1984) who identified it as Cingula substriata (Philippi, 1844). In fact, C. cristallinula differs from C. marioni in lacking the pair of subsutural grooves that characterizes this genus and presents a wide suprasutural furrow, but like the latter its shell lacks any pigmentation. Therefore, the inclusion of this species in the genus Crisilla is questionable.

Madeira, Selvagens and Canary Islands, mainly circalitoral-bathyal, known between 10 and 820 m deep as empty shells (HOENSELAAR & HOENSELAAR, 1994; SEGERS ET AL., 2009).