Shell small for the subgenus, with low spire and short, inflated last whorl (giving a sub-spherical "body" to the shell) and a long, narrow and, in most specimens, markedly recurved anterior canal (bent at first to the right, and then to the left). Consistently only the last 2 varices present, low and wide, with a low, steep abapertural face and an unusually flat, only gently contracting outer face that meets recurved edge of outer lip, i.e., no groove between varix and outer lip. Spiral sculpture of prominent, rounded cords, with less distinct margins than those of C gutturnium; 3 relatively low ones around shoulder and periphery followed by 3 more prominent ones over lower sides of last whorl, then on canal followed by 5 or 6 prominent major cords and numerous orders of lower intermediate ones. Collabral sculpture of high, narrowly crested, relatively widely spaced costae, weak over sutural ramp, raised into high, narrowly rounded, antero-posteriorly compresssed nodules where they are crossed by the spiral cords at the shoulders; fading out rapidly on sides of last whorl to produce only low gemmae on lower 3 prominent cords; 5 in the last intervariceal space of most specimens, 6 lower ones on a few weakly nodulous individuals. Aperture prominently thickened, pale flesh pink, polished; outer lip reflected over varix, its inner edge bearing 7 narrowly crested, moderately prominent folds with regularly concave interspaces (narrower than folds inside outer lip of C. gutturnium), extending a short way into aperture. Inner Up thick, smooth and polished over most of its area, with a thick outer margin raised into a prominent collar that is narrower but more steeply inclined than that of C. gutturnium; bearing 1 to 3 prominent spiral ridges at top of parietal area, 2 low ridges on basal columellar angle and, in some specimens, a few low, weak ridges on inner part of central columella and a few more below the basal columellar angle (absent from holotype). External teleoconch surface pale yellow-brown to medium reddish brown, with narrow darker brown collabral bands down crests and abapertural faces of collabral folds; prominent spiral cords and a few major intermediate threads on canal rendered very conspicuous by their dark brown colour, fourth major spiral cord below suture pale cream to white, and this and most other cords white over varices. Dimensions. 63.1 X 30.2 mm (holotype); 69.7 X 32.5 mm; 68.1 X 30.9 mm; 61.5 X 29.1 mm (all paratypes in WM13128).

Most large lots I have examined of Cymatium gutturnium contained two species, the real C. gutturnium with an intense dark orange aperture, and the smaller species with pale flesh-pink aperture described here as C. springsteeni. The latter is the species illustrated as C. gutturnium in several recent works on shells (Weaver 1966; Kay 1979; Abbott & Dance 1982) but it is not the species that was most frequently identified with that name in earlier works. I initially thought the second species might be C. moniliferum A. Adams & Reeve, but clarification of all published names for species resembling C gutturnium leaves the second species identified as C gutturnium without a name. The new species is readily distinguished from C gutturnium by its smaller size, its lower spire, its flat-faced varices, its much paler aperture, its narrower but more steeply inclined inner lip collar and, most noticeably, the very prominent, dark brown spiral cords on the anterior canal (they are less prominent and the same colour as the background in C. gutturnium). C. springsteeni differs from C. moniliferum in its larger size, its pink (rather than white) aperture, its lower spire, its subspherical rather than tapered whorl shape, and in the prominent brown cords on the anterior canal.