Shell solidly build for the genus, but in fact thin shelled: up to 10.9 mm in length and for that size 7.3 mm in width. Moderate in height, about half as high as long. The protoconch curved backwards. There is a long and broad slit, reaching almost half the distance between the periphery and the top of the shell. Behind this long slit, a deep selenizone up to the very top of the shell is covered with a large number of thin septa, formed as the shell grows. There are about 27 strong radiating ribs, starting at the top of the shell and descending to all sides, quite regularly spaced from each other and of equal strength. These ribs are raised and cross 7 strong concentric ribs. Where the concentric and radiating ribs cross, small knobs are formed. Both types of big ribs give the strength to the shell, and the shell layer below is rather thin. In the squares formed by the ribs one sees very thin and minuscule radiating and concentric ribs crossing, forming small squares within the larger squares. When seen from the base, the shell is slightly glossy a little thicker below the selenizone and the top of the shell. The outline viewed from that side is perfectly oval. The periphery, where the radiating ribs touch, is extended, becoming denticulate. The overall coloration of the shell is cream white with small dots of reddish brown, set irregularly. Some of the dots are set on the periphery and color the dentition, formed by the ends of the big radiating ribs, dark. Seen from the side, a moderately high shaped shell, with the side of the slit long and convex in shape, the backside straight in shape. We refer again to the photos for a general understanding of shapes, sculptures and coloration.

We here compare the species with other Indo-Pacific Emarginula with which it was confused in the past, or that bear some similarities.
* Emarginula maculata Adams, 1863
Lives from Japan south to the Philippines. This species has about the same size, but the protoconch is set much more backwards, even extending over the periphery of the shell below. Furthermore, the colored dots on top of the shell are set in a regular way, usually in pairs on each side of the selenizone, while the pattern of small dots is irregular and all over the shell in the new species. Furthermore, the concentric sculpture is very weak and hardly visible in E. maculata.
* Emarginella nigromaculata (Thiele, 1930)
Superficially resembles the new species: the pattern is similar. But the very flat shell which, due to this, belongs to another genus is also easy to recognize.

Philippines. Mactan Island. Punta Engano. 60-100 m. All known specimens were collected along the coasts of Mactan except paratype 3: the holotype and paratype 1 are both from Punta Engano, fished between 60 and 100 m deep with lumun lumun nets on a place called "Amisa" after a local hotel recently build there. This is almost on the extreme point of Punta Engano, facing the Cebu side. Another specimen is also from Mactan Island, but about 8 km southwards and on the coast facing Olango Island. It has been taken at a depth of 150 m. Paratype 3 comes from between Surigao and Leyte (north-eastern Mindanao) where it was taken between 80 and 100 m.