Shell up to 35 mm (about 1,5 inches) in length, elongate-ovate, fairly solid, sutures distinct and crenulate. Whorls 6-7, apart from an eroded protoconch, spire whorls weakly convex or almost flat-sided, occasionally subangulate at sutures, sculptured with irregular, fine and slender axial riblets on the spire whorls and shallow or moderately deep spiral grooves which become pitted in the interspaces; in individuals with the longitudinal and spiral sculpture of almost equal strength, a granulose sculpture may-appear. The penultimate whorl has from 2-7 spirals and the body whorl 1 1-16, in addition to 6-10 oblique basal cords. The aperture is longer than the spire, moderately narrow but widening slightly anteriorly and smooth within; outer lip weakly convex, only moderately thickened and finely crenulate at the margin. Columella glazed on the parietal wall but calloused anteriorly, and with 5-6 oblique folds; siphonal fasciole straight, slightly calloused, siphonal notch distinct. Fresh specimens are dark brown in colour, occasionally greenish-brown, and ornamented with a narrow, light tan or off-white spiral band anterior to the sutures, and whitish, axially oriented coronations which descend onto the subsutural band; some individuals have a broader, uninterrupted whitish band which reaches the sutures. Aperture white, bluish-white, light violet or greyish-brown, parietal wall brown or bluish-white, columellar folds bluish-white. Periostracum thin, brown and moderately translucent.

The species is very variable in size, sculpture and ornamentation, and has received its fair share of specific and varietal names. In some individuals from the Philippine Islands and Mauritius, the sutures lack the descending white axial streaks and have an uninterrupted, moderately broad white band.

East Africa to India, Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands. On reefs, in crevices, coralline algae, coral-rubble and under coral rocks, from the intertidal region to a depth of 70 fathoms.