Aperture subequal to spire. Protoconch 1 1/2 whorls, smooth. Postnatal whorls 6; profile rounded but with a slight shoulder. Oblique axial ribs 18 on early whorls, 20-21 on later whorls, not quite reaching suture of succeeding whorl, and becoming feeble and obsolescent on body whorl, upper ends projecting above sulcus and somewhat tubercular; spiral lirae 6 on early whorls, becoming more numerous on later whorls, with (especially on body whorl) finer intermediaries. Sulcus concave, with regular retrorse curved axial plicae, 3-5 times as numerous as the ribs, crossed by spiral lirae forming a cancellate sculpture, somewhat more conspicuous on the early whorls. Lip sinus wide but shallow. Canal short. 31x12 mm. White.

The five specimens of Barnard are very similar to Surcula obliquicosta von Martens (1903) from off Sumatra, but rather broader proportionately to length, and with distinct cancellate sculpture on the sulcus. Von Martens said the retrorse pleats on the sulcus were characteristic of his species, but similar pleats occur in T. profundorum Smith 1896, from the Maldive Islands, 719 fathoms. Judging from von Martens's figure these pleats do not seem to be so numerous as in the present species, and they do not extend across the whole sulcus to the tubercle-like ends of the oblique ribs; consequently the sulcus is not cancellate; nor is it cancellate in profundorum.

South Africa. Off Cape Point, 130-300 fathoms.