Shell medium sized (to 13 mm), oval-fusiform, very thin and fragile, glossy, with elevated spire and slightly attenuated siphonal canal. Protoconch of three whorls, first whorl (protoconch I) is smooth, brownish. Remaining whorls (Protoconch II) variably marbled in bright colours, with irregular darker spots, with indistinct, very thin spiral striation and closely spaced, arcuate axial ribs that become more irregularly spaced near protoconch/teleoconch transition (Figure 11G-H, arrow) marked by disappearance of axial ribs. Diameter 1.25 mm, height 1.1mm. Teleoconch c.3.5 convex whorls, separated by weakly adpressed suture. Subsutural ramp weakly concave. First half whorl of teleoconch nearly smooth, except for dense microtubercles. Axial sculpture limited to dense, irregularly spaced, slightly raised growth lines that form closely spaced arcuate axial riblets on subsutural ramp. Spiral cords narrow, distinct, slightly sinuous, covering entire shell surface, including subsutural ramp. Number of cords 10-11 on penultimate and earlier whorls, c.55 on last whorl, of which 10 on the siphonal canal. Cords vary slightly in width, interstices narrower than cords. Anal sinus shallow, subsutural, strongly asymmetrical, with deepest point just below suture. Last whorl very high, convex, comprising 0.78 of SL. Aperture high (0.66 SL), wide, oval. Outer lip thin, evenly rounded. Parietal region with broad, extremely thin callus, overlaying spiral sculpture. Columella short (c.0.5 AL), slightly concave, with thicker, more distinct callus. Siphonal canal short, widely open, poorly differentiated from aperture. Shell colour beige, with irregularly spaced axial bands and separate livid spots. Paratype very similar to holotype, but with less inflated last whorl. Radula not studied.

Pleurotomella tippetti is readily distinguished from Antarctic and subantarctic congeners on the basis of its nearly ovoid shell, very tall last whorl, and weakly pronounced spiral sculpture. Its protoconch is multispiral, suggesting planktotrophic development, its sculpture is similar to that of Pleurotomella packardi (Bouchet and Waren 1980: fig. 216) and, to a lesser degree, to that of P. maitasi. This new species differs from P. maitasi in lacking axial folds, and in having more rounded whorls and a different pattern of spiral sculpture. Pleurotomella tippetti superficially resembles Xanthodaphne translucida in shell outline, but differs in having multi-spiral, adpressed, strongly sculptured protoconch rather than the smooth, paucispiral protoconch characteristic of X. translucida.

In addition to the type material, the species was collected by Polarstern ANT XIX/3 (ANDEEP I) expedition on South Scotia Ridge at 2359-2380 m (Engl 2012:189).