Shell with plump crytoconoid spire, apex pointed, whorls not markedly tumid, sutures in V-shaped nicks in profile. Ornament of spiral ridges crossing costae to give reticulated surface. Aperture with prominent varix; outer lip with up to twelve internal teeth.
The shell is glossy and a little translucent when fresh. There are 35-45 costae on the last whori, ending shortly below the periphery, 40-42 on the penult, and none on the topmost three whorls. They are low, slightly prosocline, equal in breadth to about half the intervening spaces. The spiral ridges are similar in shape and expand to tubercles as they cross the costae. There are 10-13 on the last whorl, but shells of this species fall into two groups according to the number on the penult whorl: 6-7 in A. b. reticulata, 4 in A. b. calathus. The former are usually larger shells with coarser ornament. The aperture is oval, the outer lip a little everted basally. Pale orange, cream or white, usually with two brown spiral bands on the last whorl, subsutural and subperipheral, only the former in the whorls of the spire; varix nearly white. Up to 3.5 mm high, 2mm broad; last whorl occupies about two thirds of shell height, aperture 40-45%.
The snout is narrow, bifid distally, with long tentacles at its base, each with an eye at its origin. The foot is narrow with a lobe on its dorsal surface anteriorly and a 3-lobed metapodial tentacle under the operculum. There is a left pallial tentacle and usually also a right one. Males have a long, slender penis. The flesh is translucent white with some brown on snout and foot and yellow behind each eye.
A. beani lives about 50 m deep round the British Isles, mainly off western coasts, amongst weeds and stones, feeding on detritus. There are also a few records from L.W.S.T. The species ranges from the Mediterranean and the Azores to northern Norway. The taxonomic position of the calathus form is not properly understood.

This species, having a protoconch with planktotrophic development, is really variable in its sculpture, solidity and colour. Shell solid, ovato-conic in outline, moderately slim, whorls convex, suture broad. Quite variable in its sculpture as far as axial and spiral little ribs are concerned which are of same consistency, covering whole surface of teleconch more or less reticulated in aspect. In littoral specimens (typical form?) sculpture is brittler and thinner, while as far as specimens collected in deeper waters are concerned, reticulum presents meshes wider, suture broader. This last form (calathus?) is rather similar to A. hispidula the differences of which are picked out under this last species. Aperture is about 1/3 of total height, round, external lip thickened and crenulated externally, internally it presents numerous denticulations. Umbilicus missing. From dirty white to uniform dark brown in colour. A. cyrtoidea (Nordsieck, 1972), known in the Canary Islands., is considered as a synonym of beanii. Average measures of adult specimens reach 3.5-4 mm in height.

Alvania beani may be recognised by its strongly sculptured and sturdy shell with an orthocline, strongly thickened and internally ribbed outer lip.

Western Norway from ca 63.5°N and southwards, into the Skagerrak and the northern Kattegat, south to the Mediterranean where the distribution becomes incompletely known due to taxonomic problems. Depth range, lowermost intertidal to ca 40 m. Not known from Iceland and the Faeroes. Rocky and gravelly bottoms with algae. Never in large numbers.

Habitat: it lives on detrital-muddy bottoms in the infralittoral and circalittoral zones. Common enough. As per other Alvania species it feeds on tiny vegetable particles found into detritus.
Distribution: it can be found all over the Mediterranean. Common in the Tuscan Archipelago (Italy).
Some of them were collected at Krk Is. (Croatia), at 40 m depth.