Shell attaining a height of about 9 mm, thin, bluntly conical, carinate, umbilicate, of 6 to 7 whorls. Protoconch small, glassy, slightly depressed, of about 1 whorl. There are 2 spiral carinae on the spire with a 3rd appearing on the body whorl; the subsutural carina bears strong, rounded tubercles and tabulates the whorl; the 2nd carina is just below mid-whorl, and forms the periphery; the 3rd carina, on which the suture is formed, defines the base; a row of strong tubercles circumscribes the umbilicus; there may or may not be fine spiral threads in the spaces between the carinae and within the umbilicus. Axial sculpture of thin ribs on the first 2 whorls, becoming obsolete thereafter, remaining only as tubercles on the upper 2 carinae; shell otherwise with fine growth lines. Base flattened, smooth or spirally striate; umbilicus wide, deep, and somewhat restricted within. Aperture subcircular, angulated by the carinae; lips thin and simple; columella concave, not thickened.

This species has had a rather confused history, primarily as a result of Dall's work. At first Dall assigned specimens of S. lamellosa and S. pourtalesi Clench & Aguayo to Calliotropis aeglees (Watson) (Dall, 1881). In 1889 he separated these 2 species from C. aeglees, regarding S. lamellosa as a distinct species. He did not consistently recognize S. lamellosa, especially young specimens, and placed some of these along with most of his specimens of S. pourtalesi with the Eastern Atlantic species S. amabilis (Jeffreys) (see also S. pourtalesi Clench & Aguayo). Juvenile specimens of lamellosa were also present in lots reported by Dall (1927a) as S. calatha, and, in the same paper, he listed a specimen of lamellosa as S. tiara (Watson). Clench & Aguayo (1939) finally separated S. pourtalesi as a distinct species, but did not recognize that some of the USNM lots of pourtalesi were mixed, containing lamellosa as well.
S. lamellosa is very closely related to S. amabilis and S. pourtalesi. S. lamellosa presents a neater appearance than either amabilis or pourtalesi since the sculpture is sharper and the shell is more acutely angulated. The umbilicus is also wider in lamellosa than in the other 2 species, making the base very narrow. S. lamellosa is one of the commonest species in the Straits area in depths greater than 200 m, but is primarily an inhabitant of depths of 50 to 150 m throughout its range.

From off North Carolina south through the Straits of Florida, and the Antillean Arc to Barbados.
Bathymetric range: Living examples of the species have been taken from 25 to 600 m, and dead specimens are known down to 1472 m.