This genus includes species with moderately small, solid, generally fusiform shells. The first few postnuelear whorls resemble those of Aspella; subsequent whorls are more circular in cross section than in that genus. The spire is high and moderately to strongly acute. The body whorl is of moderate size (half the total shell length) and moderately broad. The siphonal canal is of moderate length and more or less dorsally recurved. The body whorl bears three or four more or less heavy, ropelike varices. Earlier whorls have six varices, two or three becoming reduced to weak costae or completely disappearing on the body whorl. Spiral sculpture generally consists of five to eight more or less welldeveloped cords which may be heavy and ropelike (D. pauperculus, D. myrakeenae) or narrower and more sharply bladelike (D. scaluruidesy D. cunninghamae). A series of finer threads may be present on the siphonal canal. Shell color is generally translucent milk-white to waxy yellow-white, in some species with narrow, red-brown spiral bands alternating with the spiral cords. A thick, white, finely axially striate or minutely reticulate intritacalx is covered, in uneroded specimens, by a fine, thin, pale-yellow or buff periostracum.

The genus Dermomurex is usually divided into five subgenera: Dermomurex s.s., D. (Gracilimurex), D. (Trialatella), D. (Takia) and D. (Viator). Vokes (1985) gave a simple key to separate the subgenera. This key is used below with some additional characters.
Dermomurex Monterosato, 1890 has a shell with a narrow inductura (inner or columellar lip), a moderately broad or broad last teleoconch whorl, six or seven axial varices on the first teleoconch whorls and three to six varices on the last whorl and a short or moderately long siphonal canal, often with the apertural varix extending over it almost to the tip of the canal.
The subgenus Trialatella Berry, 1964 has the same shell characters as Dermomurex s.s. but the last teleoconch whorl always has three varices.
The subgenus Gracilimurex Thiele, 1929 has a very high-spired shell, six or seven varices on the first teleoconch whorls that are reduced to two, three and occasionally four varices on the last whorl. The other varices persist on the last whorl as low axial ribs.
The subgenus Takia Kuroda, 1953 has a shell with a broad inductura, a broad last teleoconch whorl, five or six varices from first to last teleoconch whorl and a medium sized or long siphonal canal, onto which the apertural varix does not extend.
The subgenus Viator Vokes, 1974 has a shell with a moderately high spire, a broad last
teleoconch whorl, six varices from first to last teleoconch whorl and a long to very long canal with the apertural varix extending over most of it.
All these subgenera are morphologically distinct from each other except for Trialatella, which, as noted by Merle et al. (2011: 212-214), Houart (2015: 153) and Garrigues & Lamy (2017: 42^3), is not really separable from Dermomurex s.s. As noted by Houart (2015), it is not readily apparent how to separate some species of Dermomurex s.s. from Dermomurex (Trialatella). For example, Dermomurex fitialeatai Houart, 2015 could be referred to Trialatella because it has three axial varices per whorl on the third to last teleoconch whorls, but to Dermomurex s.s. because the spire is elongate rather than short as in Trialatella. Merle et al. (2011: 212-213) noted species of uncertain assignment, and doubted the need for Trialatella. A genetic study of both type species, D. (D.) scalaroides (Blainville, 1829) and D. (T.) cunninghamae (Berry, 1964) could clarify this classification.
These subgenera are considered as "alternate representations” in WoRMS (MolluscaBase, 2019). However, they probably reflect rapid evolutionary diversification of the genus from the Early Oligocene, with both Aspella Morch, 1877, a related genus, and Dermomurex undoubtedly having a common ancestor in the lower Tertiary (Vokes, 1975: 123). More studies are needed on this group but in the meantime, we tentatively continue to use the subgeneric subdivision as a working classification.
The presence of an intritacalx, a chalky layer with a typical microsculpture pattern, deposited on the shell by the animal during shell formation, is a common character in all species of Dermomurex and a few other muricid genera such as Aspella. The very distinctive morphology of this intritacalx is a useful tool for species identification.
The radula in Dermomurex is muricid with a flattened pentacuspid rachidian tooth and a smooth marginal area, without denticles or marginal cusps.