An exceedingly abundant, widespread, and variable species, and it is difficult to give a description which will cover all the mutations. The shell varies from being quite obese to elevated; it has eleven or twelve longitudinal ribs; these are crossed by finer, revolving ridges or threads which make the summits of the longitudinal ribs somewhat nodulous. The shell is somewhat shouldered and is sometimes almost concave above the shoulder; below the suture there is an elevated, revolving ridge, which is sometimes cut into nodules by the longitudinal sculpture. The aperture is short, with a canal above, and is somewhat rhomboidal in shape. The outer lip is thickened and has from four to ten lirae within. The eolumellar callus spreads over the underside of the shell, and is sometimes thick and strong, and sometimes thin; it is slightly nodulous or wrinkled within the opening. The color varies from nearly white through ashy to dark brown or nearly black, and there is generally a light band at and above the periphery; the callus and lip are whitish or yellowish. Length, 10 to 15; diameter, 6 to 10 mm.

AS Nassarius vibex (Say, 1822) Bruised Nassa
Distribution: Massachusetts to Florida, Texas to Yucatan to Brazil. Size: 20 mm
Description: Color whitish-gray with spiral brown bands over teleoconch whorls; shape broadly ovate; sculpture of strong axial cords crossed by spiral ribs, giving a nodulose appearance; finer spiral threads found at the suture; spire extended; aperture ovate; outer lip thickened and smooth above, crenulate toward the short siphonal canal; parietal ridge somewhat flared and smooth; slight anal notch. Habitat: Bays and sandy areas near low-tide line. Depth range 0 to 31 m (102 ft). Remarks: Scavenger. In Texas commonly found on flats of bays. See Cernohorsky (1984); Rehder (1981).

In synonymy:
N. antillarum d'Orbigny. Nine syntypes in the B.M.N.H. No. 1854.10.4.36718; illu¬strated syntype 15.8 X 9.8 X 9.0 mm. Off-white in colour, maculated with brown, 11 axial ribs on the penultimate and 13 on the body whorl, a nodulose sutural girdle, 2 rows of large nodules on whorls and additional spiral threads, columella with 8 irregular plicae, aperture with 11 denticles. Cuba. St. Lucia, Florida and St. Thomas.
N. cinisculus. Three syntypes in B.M.N.H. No. 19711; illustrated syntype 13.6 x 8.6 x 9.0 mm; with 10 axial ribs on the penultimate and 11 on the body whorl, spiral cords coarse and nodulose, dark greenish-brown, banded with white. Island of St. Thomas [= Virgin Is, Caribbean],
Most authors have assigned N. antillarum d'Orbigny to the synonymy of N. albus (Say), however, Abbott (1958) queried whether N. antillarum is a form of N. vibex or N. albus. The "Nassarius antillarum (d'Orbigny)" of Olsson & Harbison (1953) is, however, N. albus (Say). The syntypes of N. antillarum are clearly conspecific with N. vibex (Say).