The shell is small (maximum length 17 mm) and fusiform. The spire is high, consisting of two and three-fourths polished, convex nuclear whorls and five angulate postnuclear whorls. The suture is impressed. The body whorl is fusoid. The aperture is moderately small and ovate, with a broad, shallow anal sulcus. The outer apertural lip is strongly erect and gently, marginally undulate, its inner surface smooth to weakly crenulate. The columellar lip is adherent above, detached and erect below. The siphonal canal is comparatively long, straight, and narrowly open to the right.
The body whorl bears four or five narrow, erect, spinose varices. Spiral sculpture consists of five weak cords of equal size on the body and four or five others on the canal. Where they cross the varices these cords become very prominent and are developed into moderately long, weakly foliaceous spines. An expansion of the varix extends to almost the midpoint of the spines to form a webbing between them. The spines on the body are incised by a medial groove and are weakly scabrous.
Shell color is very pale brown to ochre. The aperture is cream-colored.

Distribution: North Carolina to Florida, Texas. Size: 18 mm.
Description: Color grayish to pinkish-white; shape ovate with an extended spire; sculpture of convex whorls with strong varices festooned with axial ridges; teleoconch whorls crossed by scaly, sometimes spinose spiral cords; nuclear whorls intersected by 2 cords; aperture small, ovate; siphonal canal relatively long, slightly turned upward anteriorly.
Habitat: Typically on sand or shelly rubble. Depth range 18 to 175 m (60 to 574 ft). Remarks: As with other muricids, the extended siphonal canal may be broken, giving a different look. See Clench and Perez-Farfante (1945); Rehder (1981).

Gulf of Mexico, in 100-120 m.