Shell up to 134 mm in length with small, abapically keeled, conical protoconch of 3.25-3.5 whorls and weakly shouldered, broad, convex teleoconch whorls. Length/width ratio 2.3-2.4. Axial sculpture of last teleoconch whorl consisting of 3 narrow, high, webbed varices. Other axial sculpture of 2 or 3 weak or moderately strong, low, nodose ribs, with low or moderately high node on shoulder. Spiral sculpture of strong, moderately high, primary cords, with additional, narrower, occasionally of same strength secondary cords and few, narrow, tertiary cords.
Spiral sculpture of subsutural ramp of last whorl with, adis, IP followed by P1, s1, P2, P3, s3, P4, s4, P5, s5, P6, s6 on convex part of whorl. Primary cords P1-P3 of same strength, P4-P6 increasing in strength abapically. Secondary cords si, s3, s4, and s6 broader than other secondary cords. Tertiary cords narrower or approximately equal to secondary cords. Juvenile of one teleoconch whorl clearly supports only IP, P1-P6, s6, ADP, MP, ABP.
Aperture broadly ovate. Columellar lip smooth, with strong partietal tooth adapically, erect abapically, adherent on small portion adapically. Outer lip smooth with several, split, low elongate denticles within. ID denticle strongest. Siphonal canal long, narrow, ventrally narrowly open, 39-43% of total shell length, with abapically bent, webbed, ADP, MP, and ABP spines. Tan or light brown with darker blotches on and between spiral cords. Ventral side of siphonal canal lighter coloured. Aperture glossy white.

Two similar taxa, namely Naquetia annandalei from Bay of Bengal to Pacific Ocean and N. barclayi from the Western Indian Ocean, have been considered synonyms by many authors including Houart, 1992, while others such as D'Attilio & Hertz (1987a) considered them separate species. After having examined carefully several shells, including now juvenile specimens and using the new methodology including both the description of the spiral sculpture and the counting of the cords, the two taxa are formally separated as distinct species herein with their differences outlined as follows. The protoconch of N annandalei is more acute with a narrower first whorl, having a width of 1.1 to 1.5 mm as opposed to 2.1 to 3.0 mm in N. barclayi from the Western Indian Ocean . Naquetia annandalei also has obviously narrower primary and secondary spiral cords on the convex part of the teleoconch whorl except s1 and s2 which are broader than in N. barclayi, and on the siphonal canal, but the tertiary cords are larger and wider than in N. barclayi . The s4 spiral cord is broad and conspicuous in N. annandalei while it is missing or very narrow in N. barclayi. The siphonal canal in N. annandalei is also comparatively narrower and longer. These differences are observed in both juvenile and adult specimens. Furthermore, N. annandalei is also generally narrower and less shouldered, but this is not consistent. The length/width ratio in N. annandalei is 2.3-2.4 as opposed to 1.8-2.0 in N. barclayi. An exceptionally large specimen of N. annandalei of 134 mm in length, from Queensland, Australia, was illustrated by Wilson & Gillett (1971: 83, pl. 56).

Type locality. Off Gobalpur, Bay of Bengal, India.
Distribution. Indo-W. Pac. (IP); C. Pac. The Bay of Bengal, Vietnam (Thach, 2005), the Philippine Islands, Taiwan, South Japan, Queensland, Australia, and the Marquesas.