Genota marchandi: Shell fusiform, made of 10 whorls. The first whorls show a dozen oblique axial ribs and 5-6 much weaker spiral cords. A carina runs under the suture. This carina, sharp on the first whorls, becomes attenuated on the last ones. From the 4th whorl on, the axial ribs fade away in their superior third, and the spiral ribs, 5 or 6 in number, predominate. On the contrary, in the inferior part of the whorls, the axial ribs are more important, and the weak spiral one hardly override them, without forming evident knobs. In the last whorl, the spiral cords are very irregular. Between them threads are visible, sometimes 6 or 7 in number. These cords and threads, crossing the much more regular axial ribs, form small and thickly arranged nodules, which are as high as they are large. These nodules do not exist in the upper part of the last whorls forming the carina. The aperture is relatively large, with a posterior notch. The columella occupies about two thirds of the height of the aperture. The shell is greyish, somewhat shiny, with two slightly darker bands near the base and the half of the last whorl. The interior of the aperture is purple and the lip has a cream-coloured border. Height 40.7mm; width 11.7mm.

Shell of the typical appearance of the genus Genota. About 9 whorls are present. The protoconch has 3 smooth whorls. On the uppermost part of the adult shell an axial sculpture of oblique ribs is seen. These whorls are distinctly shouldered. About the sixth whorl the ribs gradually become obsolete, so that the only axial sculpture is the numerous growth lines. At the same time also the shoulder tends to disappear, but can be detected as a faint rounded edge even on the body whorl. This edge forms the lower limit of the subsutural band. A spiral sculpture is seen right from the uppermost part of the adult shell, where 3 regularly incised lines are present. Further down this number gradually increases. One line near the upper suture tends to become more distinct, and two-three lines above the lower suture are more conspicuous than the lines in the middle of the whorl. The body whorl has about 25 spiral lines placed at regular intervals from below the subsutural band to the end of the sipho. Aperture long and narrow. Columella slightly concave. Outer edge crenulated, almost straight. Sinus broad and deep, situated at some distance from the aperture. Colouration: Light brown with darker brown spots and axial flames. The protoconch is light brown, and so is the outer lip. Interior of aperture is uniformly brown. Measurements: 32.0 x 9.2. mm.

Genota marchandi: While the lay-out of the axial and spiral ribs was found constant in all 31 specimens examined, the background colour varied from reddish to yellowish. Genota marchandi differs as follows from the other four Genota species:
-from G mitraeformis, by the clearly less angular profile of its whorls, particularly the last one, the border of which is convex, while in G. mitraeformis the border is almost straight and tapering near the base; also by its weak knobs, while in G. mitraeformis the knobs are conspicuously rounded.
-from G. papalis by its coloration, narrower last whorl, finer granulation, much smoother carina.
-from G. vafra, by its more conspicuous axial and spiral ribs, much more conspicuous nodules, coloration, and protoconch.
-from G. nicklesi, by its coloration (particularly in the protoconch, which in G. nicklesi is reddish), less regular axial ribs, and less thickly arranged nodules.

Genota nicklesi is of a cream brown colour and presents two brown band irregularly situated near the half or the superior third of the last whorl. At about the half of the last whorl, white spots are occasionally present. Most of the times, adult specimens are entirely cream, with no spots. Under the suture, a series of rather regular knots are present. The axial ribs, rather irregular in young specimens, are evident and almost straight in adults ones. Genota nicklesi mainly differs from the other three species by its very fine spiral ribs that do not form very clear nodules when crossing the axial ribs. Its two whorls protoconch is of a reddish colour in neat contrast with the cream colour of the first whorls.

Genota marchandi: West Africa. Senegal.

West Africa. Bay of Goree in the same area of G. vafra.