Shell medium sized for the genus, fusiform. Spire high consisting of two smooth bulbous nuclear whorls and up to five convex, postnuclear whorls, separated by an impressed suture. Aperture ovate to subcircular, outer lip sharp, protruding, weakly crenulate, the crenulations reflecting the surface sculpture, with a strong fimbriate varix. Inner side of the outer lip lyrate; columellar lip adherent above and detached below, with a smooth internal surface, siphonal canal short, open and dorsally recurved. Axial sculpture consisting of widely spaced varices in number: five to seven on the body whorl and seven or eight on the upper whorls. Weak axial ridges on the intervarical area. Spiral sculpture consisting of scabrous cords, two on the upper whorls and five on the body whorl, the first one on the shoulder; on the varices the cords are stronger and expanding in short rounded spines. Numerous weak ridges between adjacent cords, sometime a minor single cord present. A variable size gap in the spiral sculpture is followed on the siphonal canal by two cords. Shell colour salmon to orange-red, lightest on the varices and columellar callus; upper side of apertural varix whithish, protoconch brown-pinky, inside of the aperture salmon coloured.

Favartia cecalupoi is related to the South African Favartia natalensis, (E. A. Smith, 1906) but it differs from this one in the more dense axial sculpture, weaker spiral cords and in the colour: Favartia natalensis is white with some black stained lines present inside of the aperture, corresponding to external cords. Another similar species is Favartia minirosea (Abbott, 1954) which seems to be endemic to the Gulf of Mexico, where it is to be found in moderate deep waters (from 50 to 100 meters). The main differences are in the sculpture and size : Favartia minirosea bears stronger and more denser spiral cords and its average length is 6/7 mm.

TYPE LOCALITY
Off Ras Hafun (Somalia) , 150 Km south of Cape Guardafui. Taken By trawlers in sandy bottoms at 200-250 m depth.