Shell trochiform, flattened below, imperforate (except in a very young specimen) whorls 7, the upper ones with flattened sides, the last slightly convex; the sculpture of the upper whorls, consists of a row of small, close-set beads at the suture, being foldlike in the second whorl, they become larger, round and more remote on the next whorls, where they form the only sculpture, till on the ultimate or penultimate whorl, spiral rows of scales make their appearance, beginning with a single row, above the lower suture, they reach the number of 9 on the last whorl, near the aperture. Of these rows, eight are complete, while the lowest one is interrupted by the spines, which are present on all the whorls, except the embryonic one. These spines amount to 14 on the last whorl; they vary in length, are depressed, and provided on the upper surface, with radiating lirae. The beads of the upper whorls persist on the last one, where they number 20 or more. The sutures are deep, channelled, bordered above by the spiniferous keel. Young specimens are nacreous and nearly colourless on the upper surface, with only a light flesh-red tint, which is more apparent on the penultimate and ultimate whorls, these two being in a fine specimen (from Stat. 59) yellow near the suture. Base with a nearly perpendicular zone below the keel, bearing about 4 rows of scales, similar to those of the upper surface, then flat, with radiating, riblike and nine concentric lirae, which are scaly near the periphery and beaded towards the centre. Colour of the base yellowish, its centre covered by a rounded, porcellaneous pad, which spreads in the most adult specimen over a large space of the base, being more circumscribed towards the aperture (especially in younger specimens) where it ends in an obuse, toothlike angle. Aperture squarely-oval, upper part of the outer margin curved, thin, nacreous, columellar margin thick, rounded, basal part rather thin and slightly expanded. Interior of the aperture nacreous, but not strongly iridescent, smooth; the margin only slightly crenulated by the spiral lirae. In one very young specimen, a small umbilical slit is distinctly present, it is surrounded by a row of white beads, which seem to be covered as soon as the callous pad becomes more developed. Operculum oval, thick, its outer surface white, convex near the margins, slightly impressed near the centre, where it is also slightly tuberculiferous. Its inner surface is flat, brown, with two broad and about ten narrower whorls, around a subcentral nucleus.
Lat. (without spines) 24 mm, alt. 17mm, apert. alt. 8 MM, lat. 11 mm.

This species varies more or less in the altitude of the spire, even in specimens of about the same diameter, in the place where the spiral rows of scales appear and in the length of the spines. I have hesitated in erecting a new subgenus for it, but I could not locate it in any of the existing subgenera. It has somewhat the appearance of Guildfordia but differs in its suture being spiniferous in the upper whorls; the callous pad of the base is not provided with a pit as in Guildfordia. The subgenus may be characterised by the slender spines and the shape of the porcellaneous pad. I think its nearest ally is Turbo (Calcar) henicus Wats. , the description agreeing in many particulars, but it may be distinguished at once, by that species being beaded instead of scaly as in the new species. The operculum has many features in common.
The radula of one of the smaller specimens, has given only an imperfect result, by its great brittleness; in cleaning it, it fell in pieces. As far as I can judge, it has much affinity with that of Bolma.

Indonesia. Timor. Western entrance Semau-strait.