The shell is moderate-sized to moderately large (30-52 mm in length) and fusiform. The spire is quite high, consisting of one and one-half to two and one-half convex nuclear whorls and six to eight postnuclear whorls. The shoulder is characteristically broad and obtusely angulate or sub-angulate. The aperture is moderately large and ovate, with a weak anal sulcus. The outer apertural lip is thin and weakly crenulate, weakly furrowed on its inner surface, and flaring at its margin. The columellar lip is adherent above and generally detached and erect for the anterior two-thirds of its length. The siphonal canal is moderately long to very long.
The body whorl bears five or six low, sharp, more or less briefly and sparsely spinose varices. Spiral sculpture consists of four to seven weak cords, these sometimes obsolete between the varices. At their intersections with the varices the cords are produced into short to moderately long, open, dorsally curved spines resembling extended scales; the longest such spines are developed on the shoulder-margin cord.
Shell color is gray-white or yellow-white. Fresh examples of some species may bear a thin, flat-white intritacalx.
The operculum is light brown, roughly unguiculate (hoof-shaped), and moderately strongly annulate on its interior surface, with a terminal nucleus.
The radular dentition is muricoid, with each transverse row consisting of a coronate rachidian tooth flanked on each side by a sickle-shaped lateral tooth. The rachidian is very simple, with five very sharp cusps, evenly spaced on the base, these all of approximately equal length.

Diagnosis. Shell small to medium in size, 20-50 mm in length; spire high; protoconch paucispiral, axial sculpture consisting of lamellae; spirals of few, rounded, smooth cords; subsutural ramp smooth except axial lamellae. Aperture moderately large, broadly ovate, outer lip thin or moderately thick, smooth within; siphonal canal moderately long, ventrally open; absence or reduced presence of spiral cord on siphonal canal.