Shell elongated, with an elevated, somewhat glazed spire; aperture long and narrowed above; outer lip thickened and slightly varicose, somewhat incurved at middle; columella curved, armed with four strong plaits, lower ones a little the heaviest. Color milky white or subtranslucent, generally having three wide, faint bands of yellowish brown on body whorl that are usually more or less broken.
Length, 12; diameter, 5 mm.

Volvarina avena (Kiener, 1834) Orange-band Marginella
Distribution: North Carolina to Florida to Texas; Brazil; Bermuda. Size: 11 to 13 mm.
Description: Color from orangish-white to yellowish-white, usually with 3 broad, pale, spiral bands; shape elongate-cylindrical; sculpture smooth, glossy with a rounded, extended spire; aperture long and narrow posteriorly, becomes wider anteriorly; outer lip thickened; columella with 4 distinct plicae and slightly curled inwardly. Habitat: Hidden under hard substrates in calcareous environments, from just below the surface to a depth of about 80 m (262 ft).
Remarks: Do not confuse with the smaller pinkish-purple V. albolineata which is not as flat sided and is banded differently. See Rehder (1981); Vokes and Vokes (1983); Redfern (2001). Synonym: Hyalina avena (Kiener, 1834).