Shell elongately oval, with a short spire, covered by a thick callosity ; leaden-blue and brown. Sculpture consisting of fine vertical growth-lines, crossed by very fine dense spiral striae, sometimes distinct axial plications appear on the last whorl on approaching the aperture ; base with an oblique narrow light depression above the slightly raised fasciole, which is somewhat excavated in the middle and more or less angularly plicated. Colour : Spire yellow or reddish-brown, followed by a broad chestnut spiral band, margined with white below ; the centre of the body-whorl is bluish to dark brown, vertically lined with white or bluish ; the basal narrow groove is bluish-brown, margined above and below with white ; the fasciole consists of three parts, the upper lightly elevated and the median depressed parts are usually of the same light-brown colour, but the lowest third part, which is distinctly marked off from the others, is white, sometimes tinged with yellowish ; inner lip purplish to white ; aperture brownish-purple inside. Spire short, the apex blunt or mucronate, conic, its height about two-thirds that of the aperture ; outlines lightly convex, straight, or concave ; the whole spire covered over by callus, which is minutely granulated, and forms a more or less thick pad on the ventral side, extending to the apex. Protoconch mostly hidden by enamel, but sometimes but little covered, when it is forming a sharp and smooth point. Whorls about 6 to 7, the body-whorl large, flatly convex, narrowed towards the base. Suture completely hidden by enamel. Aperture subvertical, high and moderately broad, angled and canaliculate above, the groove sometimes broad and deep and extending often over the lower part of the spire, broadly truncated and rather deeply notched below. Outer lip lightly curved, thin and sharp, very often with a minute tooth below at the end of the narrow band bounding the fasciole above. Columella vertical, rounded, arcuately twisted, and with a number of oblique folds below, ending in a blunt beak. Inner lip thick, rather narrow upon the pillar, separated below by a deep groove from the fasciole ; usually forming 2 prominent pads on the parietal wall, and spreading upwards over the spire. Operculum thin, horny, light yellow, oval, with the nucleus subapical. the posterior end more angularly rounded than the anterior. Diameter, 22 mm. ; height, 44 mm. (very large specimen). Diameter, 19 mm. ; height, 34 mm.

New Zealand. North Island, from Bream Head to Cook Strait, also on the Manawatu coast; Sumner (H. S.) ; Timaru (H. S.) ; Chalky Inlet; Chatham Islands ; Kermadec Islands (Captain Bollons).