This is a moderately wide mitrid with the spire shorter than the aperture (W/L = 0.33 to 0.35, S/L = 0.40 to 0.44). Suture between spire whorls are not prominent and the dorsal notch is moderately prominent. The spire has about 6 slightly convex whorls. Sculpture is moderately prominent on cleaned shells and consists of four slightly convex, closely spaced, spiral cords crossed by low, narrow, axial riblets. The cords continue to be similar on the base. The protoconch has about 4 smooth, convex whorls. Kay (1979) indicates 3.5 cream whorls probably due to viewing older specimens. The outer lip is thin and is convex from the suture to the anterior tip where the transition to the anterior canal is sharply convex. The columella is straight with four significant convex, low folds with the anterior smooth to a sharply pointed tip. The columellar callus is moderately narrow with the columellar folds ending near the callus outer edge. The posterior canal is narrow, with most shells having no callus on the columellar side. The shell exterior is white to cream with a narrow presutural brown band on some spire whorls and a wide dark to light brown band on the body whorl. The interior of the aperture is white with a wide brown band on at least half the interior starting near the suture.

Shell to 41.0 mm in length, cylindrically fusiform and solid, spire pointed, teleoconch of 4.5-6 almost flat-sided whorls, protoconch of 3.5 smooth conical whorls; post-embryonic whorls with 3-4 rows of spirals overriding low axial riblets, later whorls with spiral and axial grooves of about equal strength and deep pits in between; body whorl is either smooth or grooved and pitted to the start of the brown zone. Aperture equal in height or longer than the spire, narrow, smooth within, outer lip simple and descending almost vertically apart from a slight indentation posteriorly; columella not calloused and with 4-5 oblique folds, siphonal notch prominent. White in color, body whorl with a broad brown band which frequently contains small, white linear or arrow-shaped lines and a few scattered dark brown spots, aperture white but brown-banded in young specimens.

The species is superficially similar to the W. Indian Ocean Imbricaria bicolor (Swainson), but their radulae are considerably different and both belong to different genera. Scabricola newcombii may have evolved from the Pacific S. casta (Gmelin), a species which does not live in the Hawaiian Islands. Similarly to Imbricaria bicolor, the broad brown band of Scabricola newcombii is part of the enamel and not a fugitive epidermis as in S. casta.

Range - Hawaiian Islands. In sand, from 7-100 m.