Athleta glabrata: Shape typical for genus, length of aperture about twice height of spire; sutures very narrowly and shallowly canaliculate (not to the naked eye); surface of shell dull. Columella with a thin, smooth glaze, becoming thicker at the posterior end of the aperture, where it renders the outer lip continuous with the paries. A thin belt of callus, bearing 2-3 faint striae, is visible above the suture on all whorls from the last half whorl of the protoconch onwards. Columella pleats 7, the posteriormost very feeble. Outer lip thickened, smooth inside, edge posteriorly with two feeble angulations, anal sinus very shallow. First teleoconch whorl with 16 axial riblets, which are rather weak, straight and narrower than the intervals; these are crossed by three spiral lirae, which are scarcely visible in the intervals, and do not form a cancellate sculpture; however, distinct nodules are present at the points of intersection of the first two lirae, the third being initially very weak; on the second whorl this lira forms a distinct third row of nodules, but on the third whorl it disappears, leaving two rows, one subsutural, the other submedian; these nodules number 15 on both whorls, and are the chief indication of the presence of axial ribs, which are barely visible in the intervals. The interval between the two rows of nodules forms a shallow but distinct groove. The last quarter of the penultimate whorl and the whole body whorl is smooth, except for rather coarse growth lines, and on the base the merest indication of spiral striae, although these do not actually indent the surface. Teleoconch whorls four.
Protoconch corroded, but apparently consisting of about If whorls, rather dome-shaped; initially smooth, but last half whorl with 13 thin, straight axial ribs, which do not quite reach the sutures. Boundary between protoconch and teleoconch indicated by an abrupt change in sculptural detail. Dimensions: Length 22,7 mm, width 10,5 mm, length of aperture 16,8 mm, diameter of protoconch 2,1 mm.

Athleta glabrata: Although only a single specimen is available, and that without exact locality data, this species is so abundantly distinct from the six other living members of the genus that no excuse is needed for its introduction as a new species. It is distinguishable from its congeners by the almost smooth body whorl, by the sculpture of the spire whorls, which basically consists of 2-3 well-spaced spiral rows of granules arranged on very feeble axial ribs, and by its small size. The axially ribbed termination of the protoconch would also appear to be a unique character.