Shell shortly fusiform, brownish pink, encircled near the middle of the body-whorl with a white zone interrupted with blotches of a deeper tint than the general ground-colour of the shell, everywhere ornamented with transverse rows of minute reddish dots, which are invisible to the naked eye. Spire white, terminating in a pink apex, dotted with reddish brown upon the angle of the whorls, and blotched with the same colour upon their upper surface. Volutions 9, slowly enlarging ; three apical smooth, glossy, convex ; the rest in steps one above the other, sloping above, faintly grooved immediately beneath the suture, the furrow being broad, occupying half the upper surface of the whorls, but very shallow, not spirally striated, exhibiting only fine arcuate lines of growth. The last whorl is acutely carinate above, very faintly convex at the sides, and contracted towards the front ; it is smooth at the upper half, and rather coarsely sulcated across beneath, a few of the intervening ridges at the base and two passing through the subcentral white band being rather more distinctly dotted than the rest of the surface. Aperture narrow, and outer lip thin and slightly sinuated behind. Length 12 mm., diameter 6 mm.
Providence Reef, Mascarenes, in 24 fms.

Small to moderately small, light to moderately light. 18-29 mm. Last whorl usually conical to broadly conical; outline variably convex adapically, straight (right side) or concave (left side) below. Shoulder angulate to sharply angulate. Spire of moderate height to high, slightly stepped; outline slightly to deeply concave. Larval shell of 3.0-3.5 whorls, maximum diameter 0.8- 1.0 mm. First 3-6 postnuclear whorls tuberculate. Teleoconch sutural ramps flat to concave, without spiral sculpture. Last whorl with punctuate spiral grooves below centre and variably broad ribbons between. Colour variable, primarily brownish orange, red, or olive. Last whorl with a variably broad, axially maculated white spiral band below centre, mostly edged by darker flecks or bands and usually with a variable number of dotted brown spiral lines. Occasionally conspicuous solid brown spiral lines from base to shoulder. Base and columella often tinged with violet. Larval whorls pink to violet; early postnuclear sutural ramps of the same colour and immaculate. Following ramps white, variably marked with brown radial blotches and marginal spots; shoulder edge regularly ornamented with brown spots. Aperture translucent. Periostracum yellowish grey, thin, translucent, smooth, except for oblique ridges on sutural ramps.
Dorsum of foot pink dotted with black and white, brighter pink at ends. Sole of foot pink, brighter at ends. Rostrum and tentacles pink. Siphon orangish pink spotted with white, spots larger proximally (Chaberman, pers. comm., 1981)(Pl. 76, Fig. 60). Radular teeth lack barbs, bear a strong basal spur and have a slight waist at the centre (Azuma & Toki, 1970).

C. otohimeae resembles C. articulatus, but it differs in its larger size (to 40 mm), often tuberculate shoulder, lower spire (RSH 0.12-0.20), and narrower last whorl (RD 0.59-0.64). It does not have a violet base, and the radular teeth also differ (Azuma & Toki, 1970). Juvenile specimens of C. lischkeanus from E. Africa (Pl. 52, Figs. 9, 10) may be very similar to C. articulatus, but can be distinguished by the presence of spiral grooves on sutural ramps and the absence of tuberculate whorls. C. hamamotoi has a generally broader last whorl (RD 0.70-0.79) and a generally lower spire (RSH 0.15-0.22); its early postnuclear sutural ramps have 1-2 spiral grooves, its larval shell is pale orange rather than pink to violet, its base consistently white, and its late sutural ramps are brownish red but not white. For comparison with C. dayriti, see the Discussion of that species. C. articulatus is very variable in shape, especially colouration and spire height, irrespective of locality. Specimens described as P. nadaensis from Japan fall within the range of variation observed in C. articulatus from Philippines and W. Thailand. C. lombei refers to a colour pattern variant of C. articulatus with an evenly reddish brown last whorl.

E. Africa to W. Thailand and Indonesia; Japan to Philippines; Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Queensland. In 35-240 m, in coral sand.