Shell of medium size (up to 60 mm but usually 40-50 mm). light weight, fusiform, spire slender, consisting of 9 convex whorls, body whorl usually ventricose, siphonal canal short and broad. Spiral sculpture on upper whorls fine and inconspicuous, axial sculpture usually predominant, close-set and strong. On later whorls the opposite: spiral sculpture predominant, axial sculpture finer. Suture distinct, slightly incised.
Colour variable; from uniform white to cream, occasionally with cream background colour with a broad brown tinged band on shoulder and often with an additional narrow second band on upper end of parietal wall. Primary spiral cords white or reddish-brown.
Protoconch broad, short, bulbous, white, glossy, smooth, consisting of 1,25 whorls, final ¼ whorl ornamented with 3 or 4 curved axial riblets. Transition to teleoconch abrupt. Diameter about 1.0 mm.
Teleoconch beginning with 3 strong, sharp and narrow primary spiral cords, adapical one weaker, interspaces broad. Starting with third or fourth whorl, one fine intercalated spiral thread appears. Their number increasing by intercalation: 3 on following whorls, 5-8 on penultimate, up to 10 on body whorl,
12-14 relatively weak, often inconspicuous axial ribs on upper teleoconch whorls, about 15 on penultimate, 20-22 on body whorl (occasionally up to 30), becoming often close-set and weak towards aperture. Axial ribs bearing narrow, sharp, horizontally oriented axial knobs, sometimes forming widely spaced rows of small granules.
Aperture ovate, relatively large, upper end pointed, while. Outer lip convex, slightly crenulated, inside smooth or sculptured with fine, close-set internal lirae. Inner lip smooth, slightly glossy, parietal callus thin, extending on parietal wall, attached, underlying spiral sculpture still visible. Some adult specimens have a weak columellar fold, acquired in adult stage.
Siphonal canal short, slightly curved, broad, widely open. Outer side sculptured with fine spiral threads. Operculum typical of genus, reddish-brown.
Radula typical of genus, variable in shape. Central tooth nearly rectangular, normally tricuspid, often with 4 cusps, slightly projecting below base. Lateral teeth rather short, curved, with 4-7 short pointed cusps. Outermost and innermost cusps usually slightly stronger and larger. Inner end with a small denticle.

G. kiranus shows a remarkable variability in shape, sculpture and colour. Specimens from western Australia often have extremely ventricose whorls and widely spaced rows of tiny granules on body whorl. Specimens from New Caledonia have a richer colour and have a longer, slenderer shell and a longer, narrower siphonal canal (tending to G hayashii). Deep-water specimens from Taiwan are occasionally conspicuously slender and heavily calloused. Indonesian specimens from deep water often have a short shell, a ventricose body whorl and a remarkably short siphonal canal. We consider this variablity as included within the limits of the species. G rufinodis differs by its somewhat smaller, yellowish shell, the less constricted suture, the smaller number of axial ribs, the stronger axial knobs, the broader and intensively reddish-brown coloured spiral cords, and by the curved siphonal canal. G. hayashii differs by its remarkable elongate, thin, light-weight and fragile shell, the conspicuously fine spiral sculpture, and the long curved, narrow siphonal canal. G niponicus differs by having a slightly more constricted suture, the usually smaller aperture, the longer and narrower siphonal canal, the narrower interspaces between the primary spiral cords, the stronger, more pronounced primary spiral cords, and by the white nodules on the axial ribs.
For differences with G dondani we refer to the remarks under that species.

Western Pacific, from central Honshu in the north to western Australia in the south. Reported from off Rowley Shoals, in 400-500 m by WILSON (1994: 70). KIRA (1962) reported G kiranus south of central Honshu, as deep as 183-275 m. HlGO ct al. (1999: 263) gave Boso peninsula and southwards. Philippine Islands. Australia, 150-300 m on sand. SPRINGSTEEN & LEOBRERA (1986: 178) mentioned Philippine Islands, Cebu and Bohol. The present records from Indonesia and New Caledonia extend the known range to the west and to east. In the material we examined, we found live collected specimens 240-769 m deep, empty or crabbed shells 186-688 m deep.