Type locality: 22°49'S / 167°12'E, west of Isle of Pines, southern New Caledonia.
Range: From west of Isle of Pines, Southern New Caledonia to the northern Norfolk Ridge (Mount Antigonia). Habitat: Deep water between 250 and 400 m deep.

Description: Shell is solid, ovate-fusiform, tending to be elongated in old specimens, measuring up to 85 mm long. Protoconch is smooth, bulbous of 2.5 raised whorls. Spire is moderately high. Teleoconch of 6 shouldered whorls with a moderately deep suture. Axial sculpture of 9-10 rather narrow ribs never reaching adapically the suture. No true spiral sculpture. Aperture is rather narrow, semi-ovate, slighty flared anteriorly forming about 0.65 of the total length. Outer lip is simply thickened. Columella is straight with 4 strong anterior plaits, followed by 5 minor ones and a denticle on the parietal wall below the suture. Siphonal is notch narrow and shallow. Background colour is beige, overlaid with 18-20 spiral chestnut lines on the top of the axial ribs, tending to be continuous towards the anterior. Three spiral rows of faint brown blotches are present on the body whorl of young specimens. Aperture and columella are whitish. Animal: Foot and head are yellowish with numerous thin radiating red lines.

Comparison: Because of its pattern set on the ribs only, it can be roughly compared with L. (P.)
boholensis which has a quite different minute protoconch and more slender shape.
Its closest relative is L. (P.) poppei from which it differs by constant characteristics (see below).
Remarks: The large bulbous protoconch indicates a direct development, and thus a rather limited distribution. For a long time, only a few specimens of this large Lyria were known, all coming from scientific expeditions and it remained unknown in private collections. Recently, commercial dredgings have brought to light a fair number of specimens in good condition.