Original Description in German (click German flag)

Shell of small to moderate size, 7 to 35 mm, ovate-pyriform to buccinoid, with a broadly conical spire. Body-whorl broadly ovate, gradually tapered to a short widely open weakly emarginate anterior canal. Protoconch of 2-21 whorls, that form a small sharp, narrowly conical tip. Except for the first half whorl the protoconch is diagonally cancellated. Outer lip thin, gently curving and narrowly insinuated to form a weak sinus in the vicinity of the shoulder slope. Adult sculpture of peripheral axial nodes, which diminish rapidly both above and below. The whole surface is strongly sculptured with flat-topped spiral cords, separated by deeply incised linear grooves.

Shell of medium size, 12-30 mm high, bucciniform to fusiform. Protoconch of up to 2.5 diagonally cancellated whorls. Strongly shouldered juvenile whorls, with deeply concave ramp and distinct subsutural fold, axial ribs forming tubercles at whorl periphery. Axial sculpture persistent or obsolete on adult whorls. Siphonal canal short and wide. Anal sinus very weak, with its apex in the middle region of subsutural ramp. No operculum. Radular teeth toxoglossate with short blade

Buccinaria has a superficial resemblance in shell outline to such turrid genera as Marshallena Finlay, 1926, Austrotoma Finlay, 1926, Belophos Cossmann, 1901, and Mioawateria Vella, 1954, all based on fossil type-species and characterized by a weak development of the anal sinus. Marshallena, Austrotoma and Belophos seem to be related to each other and can be easily distinguished from Buccinaria in protoconch morphology. The type species of Marshallena has a multispiral protoconch consisting of 5 smooth whorls, last 0.25 whorl with distant, narrow axial riblets and very weak spirals (Powell, 1969: pi. 280, fig. 1; Beu & Maxwell, 1990: 125). The Recent species attributed to Marshallena have an operculum and their radula morphology indicate a placement in the family Turridae, subfamily Cochlespirinae. Mioawateria has the same protoconch sculpture as Buccinaria and also belongs to Raphitominae. It differs in having a much smaller shell (usually less than 10 mm high) with a small aperture and a rather narrow canal without a notch. Further research, however, is needed to clarify relationships between Buccinaria and Mioawateria.
Ootomella is classically treated as a subgenus of Buccinaria since Beets (1944). Ootomella typically differs from Buccinaria by having regularly convex adult whorls with only spiral sculpture, vs distinctly shouldered with both spiral and axial sculpture in Buccinaria. Juvenile teleoconch whorls have similar profile and sculpture in both nominal genera. We regard the differences in adult whorls to be only a matter of degree, as for instance the differences between B. urania and B. jonkeri, and we formally synonymize Ootomella with Buccinaria. The radula of B. pendula (a typical Buccinaria) and B. jonkeri (type species of Ootomella), however, differ rather considerably in size and morphology, and might indicate that Ootomella represents more than a mere conchological variant on the Buccinaria theme. Knowledge on the radulae of additional Recent species, as well as knowledge of the ontogeny of the radula in juvenile Buccinaria, is necessary to evaluate this difference.

Indopacific. From India to Japan and in the east to New Caladonia. Indonesia and Philippines.