Shell. A small, delicate, glossy and semitransparent shell with a blunt apex and a generally cylindrical appearance (apical angle about 20°). There are 6-7 swollen whorls which meet at sutures which are moderately deep and lie below the periphery of the upper whorl. There is no ornament apart from fine and irregular growth lines.
Aperture. A round opening, slightly oval and a little angulated at its adapical end. The outer lip begins just abapical of the periphery of the last whorl and at right angles to its surface. It is somewhat out-turned and shows a deep anal sinus, a marked peripheral bulge and a great flare at the base forming a wide canal directed basally. The columellar lip forms the axial edge of the canal, is thin, rather straight and slightly everted over a narrow groove leading to an umbilical chink. The parietal lip forms a glaze. In young shells the basal canal is absent, represented only by some out-turning.
Colour. Whitish or colourless.
Size. Up to 2 x 1 mm. Last whorl = half of total shell height; aperture = one third of total shell height.
Animal. There is no snout, the anterior border of the head giving rise to the tentacles with the mouth on the underside. The tentacle bases are united and each tentacle is rather short and thick with a sessile eye at the base.
The foot is short, narrow, with a well-developed propodial region, the groove behind it extending a little down each lateral margin.
Colour. White.

Geographical distribution. A southern species reaching from Madeira north to the British Isles where it has been recorded in many localities as far north as Shetland, though recent records of live animals are rare: this may perhaps be due to its small size.
Habitat. On soft bottoms sublittorally.