Shell claviform, consisting of ca. 7.5 whorls, with rather acute apex and moderately high spire, ratio shell diameter to shell height 0.50, aperture height to shell height 0.52, spire height to shell height 0.35. Protoconch turbiniform, of about 2.5 smooth whorls, last half whorl slightly angulated. Teleoconch of 5 gradate, moderately convex whorls with flattened lateral side. Whorls with prominent shoulder angulation at 0.6 whorl height on early whorls and at 0.7 whorl height on latter whorls. Suture shallowly impressed, slightly wavy. Subsutural ramp narrow*, clearly expressed, strongly inclined. Axial sculpture represented by strong, rounded, slightly arcuate and weakly opisthocline folds, running from suture to suture but fading on subsutural ramp and lower shell base, varying in number from 11 per whorl on early whorls to 12 on last whorl. Folds of about same width as intervals between them. Spiral sculpture represented by thin, poorly visible spiral threads covering adapical half of whorl side and seen as white lines on semi-transparent shell surface Ridged spiral ribs represented on abapical part of shell base and canal. Base evenly convex, curved in passing to canal. Aperture oval, with short, obliquely truncated basal canal. Anal sinus weak, just slight insinuation of thin lip edge. Inner lip evenly curved, columellar part straight, parietal callus forming a narrow ridge-like pad; outer lip with heavy varix behind thin lip edge. Axial folds behind varix strongly smoothed. Shell glossy, yellowish-white, with chestnut-brown end of siphonal canal and pale-brown spiral elements on varix: three narrow-lines adapically, one wider band below periphery, and one line abapically. Abaxial part of protoconch last wiiorl and two initial teleoconch whorls reddish-brown.
Shell height (holotype) 11.2 mm, shell diameter 5.6 mm, last whorl height 7.3 mm, aperture height 5.8 mm.

Maximum shell dimensions: 12.5 x 6.65 at 5.2 teleoconch whorls. Variation of shell indices: shell diameter to shell height 0.47-0.54, aperture height to shell height 0.49-0.54, spire height to shell height 0.34-0.40 (commonly 0.34-0.37). Number of folds rather stable during shell growth; 9-11 folds on last whorl. Anal sinus from not expressed to very poorly developed. Shell from Vanuatu (not included in type series) characterized by less angulated whorls and longer axial folds, not strongly smoothed on lower shell base. All fresh shells with dark upper whorls and brownish end of canal; sometimes there is a pale-brown spiral line running abapically of whorl angulation.
Operculum was examined in one of the paratypes from type locality. It is large, occupying entire aperture, thin, transparent, leaf-shaped, with terminal nucleus.
The species differs from H. anaimus in having more angulated whorls, fewer axial folds and in details of shell coloration.

SW Pacific: New Caledonia, Loyalty Basin, and Coral Sea; northward to 18°S, southward to 23°S, westward to 158°E, eastward to 170°E; living at 408-450 m, empty shells at 300-558 m.