The shell is small (maximum length 50 mm) and broadly fusiform. Its spire is high, consisting of two and one-half nuclear whorls and six strongly convex postnuelear whorls. The suture is strongly impressed, and is emphasized by a concave region below the suture. The body whorl is moderately large and broadly fusoid. The aperture is ovate, with a narrow, inverted-V-shaped anal sulcus, the V pointing toward the columella, and its parietal boundary is formed by a thickened spiral ridge. The outer apertural lip is erect, extending a short distance beyond the last varix. and is finely dentate; its inner surface is lirate. The columellar lip is detached and weakly erect. The siphonal canal is relatively short, tapering anteriorly, and recurved distally.
The body whorl bears three foliaceously orna-mented varices, Other axial sculpture consists of two elongate, finely nodulose intervarical costae. Spiral sculpture consists of numerous major and minor, scabrous or finely nodulose threads. Where groups of these threads coalesce and intersect the varices, short, distally foliated, open spines are developed. The spines are much reduced on the spire. The body whorl bears six spines, none above the shoulder; the siphonal canal bears an additional three or four spines of equal length. Small intercalating spinelets may be present between the spines on the body.
Shell color is generally light to moderately dark rusty brown, strongest on the nodules of the spiral elements and the intervarical costae. A lighter band generally girdles the body region at its equator. The interior of the aperture is porcelaneous white.

denudatus Perry 1811 {Triplex) (=Murex australis Quoy & Gaimard 1833: =M. palmiferus Sowerby 1840). Pinkish~brown or white; spire rather elongated, pointed, turreted; spirally ridged and striated, two prominent tubercles between the varices; varices three, somewhat thickened, with a single row of short, rather compressed folds, often fimbriately connected at the side; whorls somewhat ventricose; outer lip denticulated; canal of medium length, recurved. Height 36; diam. 20 mm. Subfossil in South Australia. Largs Bay. two examples from shell debris (Henn). Alive in North Australia. Gatliff record¬ed this from Victoria as Murex abortivus Perry, a different spec¬ies. C. denudatus is recognised by its short compressed fronds, which are usually so close side by side, as to form a connected leaf-like frill. (Type locality—Van Dieman's Land [Perry in error| North Australia).

Australia, New South Wales to south Queensland.