Type locality: Bohol, Philippines. Range: Large, in scattered localities: Bohol, North Borneo, New Caledonia. Its range seems to follow the southern part of the western border of the Pacific plate. Habitat: Deep water between 100 and 300 m.

Description: Shell quite large, solid, elongated fusiform, measuring up to 85 mm, rarely more. Protoconch small, yellowish, of two smooth convex whorls. Spire high and pointed. Teleoconch of 8-9 convex whorls with a silky surface sculptured by 11-13 straight axial ribs, lateraly pinched and clearly leaving a nearly flat intercostal space. Aperture is narrow, measuring around 0.57 of the total length. Outer lip thickened forming internally a lenticular callus. Columella slighty concave, bearing 12-13 columellar plaits of which the posterior 6-8 are often weaker and more closely spaced. Siphonal notch narrow and shallow. Background colour beige, with a pattern of 11-16 poorly defined spiral lines appearing only on the summit of the ribs, interrupted by the intercostal spaces. Well spaced, these lines leave two light paramedial bands free of any patterning. Three spiral bands of faint spaced apart brown markings on the body whorl occur in some shells. Aperture beige. Animal: Not available for study. Comparison: See L. (P.) planicostata.

Remarks: This is a species frequently found in its zone of reference but it seems rare elsewhere (only two specimens found in New Caledonia).Although essentially from Philippines waters in collections, L. planicostata, L. boholensis and L. habei have surprisingly large distributions.
Contrary to most of the Volutidae which have direct development and are generally endemic, these Lyria have in common a very small protoconch, fully compatible with short demersal, lecithotrophic phases allowing them to spread by successive jumps. In this manner a vast distribution may have resulted along the very likely homogenuous ecological niche which is the border of the western Pacific plate, above all in the zone between 100 and 200 m deep preferred by these Lyria. The existing gaps in distribution are probably related to the insufficient explorations in these areas.