The shell is moderately large to large (maximum length 110 mm) and broadly fusiform. The spire is high and acute, consisting of six shouldered postnuclear whorls and a protoconch of undetermined nature. The suture is generally obscured by the succeeding whorl. The body is moderately large and broad and roughly fusoid. The aperture is moderately small and ovate, with a weak anal sulcus angled toward the parietal region of the shell. The outer apertural lip is coarsely and bluntly crenulate, one of these blunt bumps near the base of the body being developed into a long, thornlike, medially grooved ceratus; the inner surface of the outer lip is generally smooth in fully mature specimens, although in specimens with immature outer lips a row of low, fused denticles may be present. The columellar lip is adherent above, detached and strongly erect for most of its extent; the columella is twisted through about 40 degrees where the siphonal canal begins. The siphonal canal is moderately long, fused for the upper two-thirds of its length, and strongly bent to the right and dorsally at its open distal end.
The body whorl bears three winged varices with broadly digitate margins. Intervarical axial sculpture consists of a single axially arranged row of knobs on the spiral cords. Spiral sculpture consists of prominent primary, secondary, and tertiary cords. A single secondary cord above the shoulder margin is followed by three primary cords, the uppermost one at the shoulder margin; following these are a low tertiary cord, a secondary, a primary, and another tertiary cord. The leading edge of each varix is richly fimbriate. The lateral extent of the varical wings varies with the population and with water depth. Shell color is white, with brown mottling between the varices and especially on the spiral cords; the leading edges of the varices are white. A randomly occurring all-white variant is a novelty among collectors.

Alaska in shallow, subtidal depths to Santa Cruz Island, California, in deeper (2.5-70 m) subtidal situations.