Type locality: 23°27.3' S / 167°50.4' E, North of Norfolk Ridge.
Range: Restricted around the type locality, between 23°18'S / 168°15fE and 23°27'S / 167°50'E. Habitat: Live on rocky and gravelly bottom at a depth between 276 and 350 m.

Description: Shell is light but solid, ovate fusiform, with a polished surface. Protoconch bulbous of 1.75 elevated smooth whorls. Teleoconch of 5-6 broad convex whorls, slightly shouldered with a rather deep impressed suture. Spire is moderately high forming 0.40 of the total length. Sculpture consists of strong rounded axial ribs: 10-11 broad and well-defined on the first whorls, 8-9 on the body whorl, adapically attenuated on the adult shell. No spiral sculpture. Aperture is high, narrow. Columella with thin callus bears numerous white plaits, the 4 anterior ones are more prominent, followed adapically by 5-7 distinct lirae. Siphonal notch is shallow and broad. Background colour is light beige, marked by three spiral row of brown blotches on the body whorl, merging in some specimens into continuous bands and overlaid by a spiral pattern of thin brown lines, sometimes absent on the intercostal spaces and often gathered into three bundles. The anterior one is thicker, limiting two pale bands without any marks on the body whorl. Aperture is beige. Columella and plaits are white.
Animal: Foot and head of the live animal are cream with a pattern of closely spaced radiating reddish lines, forming stripes on the siphon and tentacles-Anatomy and radula have not been studied.

Comparison: Lyria (Plicolyria) poppei can be compared with the other members of the subgenus:
Lyria (Plicolyria) kuniene Bouchet, 1979: Most of its conchological characters such as the raised bulbous protoconch and general shape show a close relationship with L. poppei. Nevertheless it differs by a more elevated protoconch bearing a whorl more, a less convex and higher spire, thinner and more acute axial ribs and a spiral pattern consisting of only dashes regularly spaced on the summit of the axial ribs with a faint row, often obsolete, of pale brown blotches. Its north easternly range overlaps that of L. poppei.
Some specimens of L. poppei have an almost identical pattern and one may consider it as a subspecies of the latter. However, besides its remote narrow endemism on a small submarine plateau, differences based upon the morphological characteristics are constant and no intermediate specimens are found.
Lyria (Plicolyria) boholensis Poppe, 1987: This species is usually found in Philippine waters and in scattered places, including New Caledonian waters. It has the same pattern of bundles of spiral lines but discontinuous, with rare small brown blotches marking the ribs. It differs also by its minute protoconch, a more solid structure, and laterally pinched axial ribs.
Lyria (Plicolyria) planicostata (Sowerby III, 1903): Occasionaly found in New Caledonian waters, this species is very close to L. boholensis, sharing the same minute protoconch and outline. It differs by its larger size with thick axial ribs. Its surface bears rows of deep brown blotches and is overlaid by a dense pattern of closely spaced spiral lines without any discontinuity.
Remarks: Newly discovered, the depth and the very restricted range of its habitat make this species always one of the rarest volutes.