As Seila africana Bartsch:
Shell regularly elongate-conic, chestnut brown, a little lighter on the early whorls. (Nuclear whorls decollated). Postnuclear whorls flattened, marked with strong flattened spiral kinds, of winch three occur upon all the whorls between the sutures. The first of these is a little anterior to the summit, leaving a somewhat concave shoulder at the summit; the last is an equal distance above the suture; while the second is midway between the two. These keels are separated by deep, concave grooves which are a little wider than the keels. In addition to these spiral keels, the whorls are marked by exceedingly fine, closely-spaced, axial, raised threads, which cross the deep grooves that separate the spiral keels, the sutures appearing like the grooves on the whorl. On the last three whorls the summit of the turns falls slightly anterior to the peripheral cord, which shows partly in the suture. Periphery of the last whorl decidedly angulated, marked by a cord a little less strong than those occurring upon the spire. Base moderately long, well rounded, marked by two spiral cords, of which the first is about as far anterior to the peripheral cord as that is from the one posterior to it; while the second, which is considerably more slender, is a little posterior to the insertion of the columella, the insertion of the columella being marked by a strongly impressed groove. In addition to the above sculpture, the entire base is marked by numerous, very slender, raised axial threads and exceedingly fine, spiral, striatums. Aperture subcircular, decidedly channeled anteriorly; posterior angle obtuse; outer lip thin, rendered sinuous by the spiral keels; columella short, strongly curved and reflected over and appressed to the base; parietal wall covered with a. thin callus.
The type and three specimens of this species Cat. No. 187043, U.S.N.M., come from Port Alfred ((-oil. No. 581). The type has 10 postnuclear whorls and measures: Length, 7.6 mm.; diameter, 2.2 mm. The present species is much smaller than S. alfredensis. In coloration it is uniform chestnut brown, while S. alfredensis is macu¬lated. The axial sculpture consists of much finer and much more numerous raised threads in africana than in alfredensis. The base of the present species has two spiral cords, while in alfredensis we have two incised lines only.
Two additional lots from Port Alfred are in the collection of the United States National Museum. Cat. No. 249680, 4 specimens (Coll. No. 95S). Cat. No. 249687, 4 specimens (Coll. No. 959.)