A detailed description was provided by GOFAS (1999, original description).
Shells here studied translucent, oval, somewhat cyrtoconoid, with a little more than 4 whorls, reaching up to 2.3 x 1.3 mm. Profile of the spire flat-convex. Sculpture formed by spiral cords wider than the interspaces and weak but patent orthocline axial ribs. Suprasutural and subsutural cords stronger than the rest giving rise to a canaliculated suture which is best seen under magnification. The crossing points of ribs and cords are thickened. The lattice of axial ribs and ribs gives a reticulated appearance, making a difference from C. semistriata. Aperture oval, narrower in its upper part. External lip somewhat thickened, inside with about ten incipient but clear denticles. Yellow whitish background shell colour with one large row of square subsutural patches and another of smaller suprasutural blotches divided in two on the body whorl. The basal area of the shell is more whitish than the rest.
Protoconch multispiral with 2.25 whorls reaching 270 µm in height and 350 µm in width. Protoconch I 140 µm wide with five spiral cordlets and a weak granulation in the interspaces. On the protoconch II the granules are irregularly arranged at first but later aligned in 4-5 rows. Transition between protoconch and teleoconch somewhat sinusoidal and not as obvious as in other rissoids with planktotrophic veliger.

GOFAS (1999) emphasized the similarity of this species and C. semistriata, both in their morphology and habitat, but C. transitoria differs in having an incipient axial sculpture and more cyrtoconoid profile. Further, the geographic distribution of both species does not seem to overlap, but their range limits are not known with accuracy. GOFAS (1999) pointed out that this species has intermediate characters between typical Crisilla species and those of the lineages currently ascribed to Alvania (the specific epithet alludes to that). Further, we have also observed in the studied shells that the somewhat thickened outer lip presents weak folds internally (not indicated by GOFAS, 1999 in the original description). The studied shells from Gabon differ slightly, because some of them are more conical than the typical form with a less marked axial sculpture.

West African coasts from Senegal to Angola, including Sao Tome and Principe. It is a coastal species found from the intertidal fringe down to 80 m depth.