Described as Purpura sertata
Shell small, solid, biconical, prof usely ornamented with lines of erect scales, spire tabulate, canal produced, sinuate. Colour: the scales white, the shell pale purple. Whorls three, plus a five-whorled sinusigera protoconch. Sculpture: there are seven or eight obscure longitudinal ribs, marked by the scales in perfect shells, and apparent only on worn specimens. Along the angle of the shoulder runs a line of subtubular imbricating scales, each expanding an erect hood, from under which issues the succeeding scale. Beneath are six spiral lines of much smaller scales, each connected by lamelke, with the scales above and below. Between the suture and the shoulder are two similar lines. The protoconch is of the "sinusigera" type, with four keels on the last whorl, two of which ascend the spire; the two first whorls smooth, the others crossed obliquely by numerous delicate lamellae which cross the keels; the aperture is thickened and reflected, a peripheral tongue intervenes between two deep bays, within which the adult sculpture develops. Length of specimen figured, 6,5 mm.; breadth, 4,5 mm. Another and worn specimen: length, 9 mm.; breadth, 4,5 mm.
Probably the largest of the series before me is still immature, and I have, therefore, refrained from describing the aperture. Though similar sculpture is described by Watson in Murex aedonius, by Pritchard and Gatliff in Coralliophila wilsoni, and prevails in Trophon flindersi, Ad. & Angas, it appears to distinguish the present species among Purpura. Had not my material included the protoconch, I should have referred the species to Murex, but the sinusigera apex claims for it a place in Purpura. I share the opinion of my friend, H. L. Kesteven, who, referring to the protoconch of Purpura tritoniformis, concludes that: " Since the only three embryos of this extraordinary type that have been followed to their later stages have proved to be those of Purpura, such an apex may surely be taken as a guide to the generic position." The sculpture of this sinusigera distinguishes it specifically from those already known. Purpura is regarded as characteristic of the zone between tide marks ; I do not know that it has before been noted from so deep as 100 fathoms.
A few specimens occurred off Port Kembla in 63-75 fathoms; off Botany Bay in 50-52 fathoms; and one embryo off Cape Three Points in 41-50 fathoms. Mr. G. H. Halligan and I dredged one shell in 100 fathoms sixteen miles east of Wollongong.

The present specimens are indistinguishable from the holotype.
As indicated in the synonymy, Hedley (1918) mistakenly considered that Purpura sertata Hedley, 1903 (based on juveniles) was a junior synonym of Coralliophila lischkeana (Dunker, 1882) (herein Babelomurex lischkeanus). Subsequently, Iredale (1929) considered that the Australian species sensu Hedley, 1918 was specifically distinct from Japanese C lischkeana and resurrected Hedley's specific name for it. Laseron (1955) realised that the type material of P sertata was specifically distinct from Japanese C lischkeana, proposed Tolema australis for C. lischkeana sensu Hedley, 1918 = T. sertata sensu Iredale, 1929, and referred true P sertata to Liniaxis Laseron, 1955. Subsequent authors (e.g. Powell 1979; Kosuge and Suzuki 1985; herein) have interpreted T. australis as a synonym of Rapana lischkeanus Dunker, 1882, which is here grouped in Babelomurex (see above).
Coralliophila sertata attains much smaller size than Babelomurex lischkeanus (height up to 22 mm, versus 58.5 mm), has more crowded axial lamellae that are considerably shorter, especially at the shoulder angulation, and has a weaker spiral sculpture. The two species are locally sympatric but asyntopic, C sertata living within cavities of black corals (Antipatharia), whereas B. lischkeanus is evidently free-ranging, though its preferred food is unknown.
Coralliophila sertata is one of the very few coralliophilines known to live in association with Antipatharia other than Rhizochilus species (3 records—see above) and Coralliophila kaofitorum Ri.Vega, Ro.Vega & Luque, 2002. We assume that C sertata, although living within open cavities in the bodies of the antipatharians, may range freely on and eat its host. Coleman (1975, p. 73, fig. 211) has recorded this species living in colonies at the base of a soft coral of the genus Capnella Gray, 1869 off south-eastern Australia.
Fresh specimens from New Zealand are pink within the aperture, as are specimens from off New South Wales (I. Loch, pers. comm.). The apertural pigmentation fades over time, ultimately vanishing in long-dead shells, unlike the violet apertural pigmentation of many other coralliophilines such as C mira, which is extremely persistent (transforming to yellow in fossils).

Southern Australia. Kermadec Islands, and Three Kings Islands, and north-eastern North Island, New Zealand, 79-805 m, taken alive at 55-91 m from cavities in black antipatharian, on which it was presumably feeding.