Shell medium-sized to large for subfamily, maximum length of type and largest species 211 mm; shell broadly fusiform, with relatively high spire; when fully expressed, sculpture of up to five rows of ten or more abaxially pointing nodes; other spiral sculpture of prominent cords; outer lip edge weakly convex and angled at periphery, with paired black crenulations, the termini of paired black lines on the spire and body whorl; internal lirae on adaxial side of outer lip mostly smooth, but some discontinuous toward anterior; junction of outer lip with penultimate whorl often without notch; parietal ridge prominent, rounded; entrance fold to siphonal canal prominent, rounded, more strongly expressed than the two columellar folds; folds abapical to entrance fold absent. Radula of type species described and figured by Calvo (1987:149-151, fig. 123) and Matthews-Cascon et al. (1989: 359, figs 1, 2).
We propose the new genus Aurantilaria for the Recent southeastern Caribbean and Brazilian species Fasciolaria aurantiaca Lamarck, 1816, several new world fossils and two groups of European fossils. The genus is characterized by one to five rows of abaxially pointing nodes, a modestly convex outer lip whose inner side possesses strong lirae that are often discontinuous (especially anteriorly), a strong rounded parietal ridge, paired crenulations that are black in the type species, a rounded entrance fold to the siphonal canal, and the absence of folds abapical to the entrance fold

In its multiple rows of nodes and black paired crenulations, Aurantilaria resembles the IWP genus Pleuroploca, but it differs from that genus by lacking folds abapical to the entrance fold and by having a consistently higher spire. The paired black lines and associated crenulations are restricted to Aurantilaria, Filifusus and Pleuroploca and could indicate a close phylogenetic relationship between these genera.
Aurantilaria gen. nov. differs from the new American genus Granolaria by having a higher spire, abaxially rather than adapically pointing nodes, and by usually having discontinuous internal lirae. Shells of living Aurantilaria have paired black spiral lines and terminal crenulations, which are lacking in Granolaria, and may have more than one spiral row of nodes, a state not seen in any species of Granolaria. The holotype of A. kempi, PRI28697, has a single peripheral row of rather broad, low nodes on whorls of the spire and body whorl. This species will be discussed in detail in a forthcoming paper by Landau and Vermeij. Species of Triplofusus resemble Aurantilaria in having a high spire, but lack the parietal ridge of Aurantilaria and have a planar rather than convex outer lip. The outer lip of Triplofusus lacks the terminal crenulations of Aurantilaria and is either smooth on its inner side or has smooth internal lirae. Aurantilaria aurantiaca is the only living species other than Triplofusus princeps to have grooves and ridges on the outer surface of the operculum, although they are more subdued in A. aurantiaca than in T. princeps. There is also a close resemblance between Aurantilaria and the new IWP genus Filifusus. Aurantilaria differs from Filifusus by having fewer, coarsely beaded lirae, a rounded instead of keel-like parietal ridge, and a rounded rather than keel-like entrance fold to the siphonal canal.