Shell biconic-fusiform, spire orthoconoid, acute, a/1 0.43-0.45, b/l 0.36-0.39, aperture large, siphonal canal moderately long and thick, constricted above, its termination wide and deeply notched. Outer lip alate below sinus but not flaring, posterior angle of aperture forming a deep, constricted spout that extends high up penultimate whorl, parietal pad large; edge of outer lip not crenulate or serrated, anal sinus in side-view moderately deep, linguiform with parallel sides, posterior end of lip forming an adapically inclined, lobate projection; termination of lip sharp, not foreshortened against end of columella, which is equally sharp; stromboid notch deep. Glossy, sculptured by strong shoulder nodules, forming axial ribs on spire whorls, and thin, widely-spaced spiral ridges. Whorls shouldered, sulcus wide, slopingly concave, with a narrow, sharp, well-defined subsutural cord. Axial ribs reaching subsutural cord on first teleoconch whorl, becoming progressively obsolete in sulcus, on penultimate (5-6th teleoconch whorl) also obsolete above suture; opisthocline, in t/s initially angularly rounded, on last whorl low and rounded, 8-9 per whorl, prelabral varix broad, low and rounded. Spiral ridges thin and close on first 2-3 whorls, about 5 in number (plus subsutural cord); weaken and evanesce on 4-5th whorls, but a shoulder and suprasutural ridge begin to develop; penultimate whorl with 3 ridges, the one on shoulder undulating, the other two weaker, all much narrower than their intervals; base of last whorl with 14-16, upper ones alternately more or less weaker and stronger, those on rostrum thick and close. Collabral threads fine and very low, lunulate in sulcus, strongest on base of last whorl.
Colour pale greyish brown (early whorls tinged with orange-brown), axial ribs and spiral ridges white, intervals between ribs below shoulder on penultimate whorl reddish-brown, reduced to a series of spots on last whorl; base of rostrum with a brown blotch.
Protoconch papilliform, of about 1.5 whorls, smooth except for a few, fine, close axial riblets at termination; breadth 0. 50 mm. Maximum length 36.5 mm.

This new species closely resembles Ptychobela opisthochetos Kilburn, 1989, of Mozambique, in possessing a similar long, spout-like posterior canal. It differs from P. opisthochetos in a number of characters, such as its squatter shape (b/l 0.36-0.39 against 0.34-0.36) and high gloss and smaller size (15-21 mm against about 30 mm). Furthermore, spiral ridges are fewer in P. dancei spec, nov.; the subsutural cord bears only a single ridge instead of two; the penultimate whorl shows 2-3 spiral ridges (against 4-6), the base of the last whorl has ca 14 ridges against 19-22 (of which those on the rostrum are coarser in P dancei). Finally the base of the rostrum has a brown blotch, evidently not present in P opisthochetos, and there are usually conspicuous brown peripheral spots on the last whorl.

South Yemen to Oman, Masirah Island, and Somalia.