Shell moderately large, 19-74 mm., narrowly fusiform to biconical, typically with a tall spire and long straight tapered unnotched anterior canal. Protoconch tall, polygyrate, narrowly conical of 3,5-4 whorls, strongly sculptured with numerous crisp flexuous axials, crossed by numerous faint spiral threads, which are visible only on the axials, not in the interstices. First 1,5 whorls smooth in all examples seen, which are eroded to some extent but the non-eroded protoconch is probably axially costate throughout. Sinus deep and narrow, always on the peripheral keel, which is rim-margined, not on a subsidiary ridge above the periphery as in Turris. The adult sculpture is of spiral keels and cords. The operculum is leaf-shaped with a terminal nucleus. The radula consists of a pair of modified wishbone-type marginals. The tooth proper is long and straight, gradually tapered to a sharp point, but the basal limbs spread, like the jaws of a pair of calipers, and are connected by a thin plate (acuta). The colour pattern varies from sparsely punctate to tessellate or blotched in brown upon a pale ground. For shells identical with Lophiotoma in adult features but with a blunt paucispiral protoconch, see the subgenus Lophioturris. The genus is widely distributed over the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific and also occurs in the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene of Indonesia. The counterparts of this genus in the tropical Eastern Pacific, the Caribbean and the Tertiary of the south-eastern United States are the genera Pleuroliria and Polystira.

Resembling Turris but with anal sinus on peripheral cord; protoconch paucispiral, smooth and domed, to polygyrate, ribbed and cyrtoconic.

Diagnosis: Shell medium-sized to large (25-65 mm), narrowly to broadly fusiform, with attenuated, usually long, siphonal canal. Protoconch multispiral, abapical whorls bearing broadly spaced arcuate axial riblets. Teleoconch whorls varying in outline from rounded to distinctly shouldered, subcylindrical or cylindrical. Sculpture of sharp, pronounced cords. Subsuturai cord present, weak to strong, triangular in section, sometimes bearing spirai ridges. Sinus cord at the whorl periphery, separated from subsuturai cord by distinct depression, usually bipartite, often strongly elevated, giving whorls a keeled profile. Interspaces between major cords with regular fine
threads. Last adult whorl with indistinctly angular or rounded base, extended into medium to long, unnotched, siphonal canal. Aperture elongate; anal sinus rather deep, with nearly parallel sides. Outer aperture lip often lirate inside. Shell colour usually white or cream, with regular, contrasting brown or black dots or blotches on spirai elements. Rarely dark brown, or with tip of canal brown. Operculum with apical nucleus. Radula (from Puillandre et al., 2017) (Fig. 5J): marginai radular teeth duplex. Anterior (inner) half solid, narrowly lanceolate, dorso-ventrally compressed, with sharp lateral cutting edges. In posterior half, major and accessory limbs bifurcat-ing at about 45° angle, rather thin. Central formation either absent or very weak, represented by fiat, poorly developed cusp. Remarks: The larger Lophiotoma species, such as L. acuta, L. semfala and L. jickelii, are characterized by speckled shells and a long siphonal canal, closely resembling species of Turris and Unedogemmula. How-ever, they can be distinguished from the former by the presence of an anal sinus located at the whorl periphery and a generally stronger shoulder, resulting in cylindrical or pagodiform whorls, which are never observed in Turris. Similarly, the sinus cord is usually much weaker in Unedogemmula compared to Lophiotoma, while the shells in the former genus are generally larger and have 'heavier' appearance.
On the other hand, the smaller Lophiotoma species, such as L. abbreviata, L. brevicaudata, L. picturata and L. ruthveniana, closely resemble Xenuroturris as defined in this study but can be dififerentiated by the longer siphonal canal of Lophiotoma.

Distribution: Broadly distributed in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea in the northwest, South Africa in the southwest to Japan in the north, and New Caledonia and Fiji in the east; at subtidal and bathyal depths.