« Murex with a rugose shell, of a light brown colour. Volutions seven or eight, rounded, and strongly ribbed, crossed by elevatedstriae or ridges, the summits of which are purplish-brown, and form fine, spiral, thread-like lines, all up the shell; these are, however, sometimes interrupted, as in some specimens a few of the ridges are plain brown. The shell tapers to a fine point, and is generally darkest at the apex […] The ribs are nine or ten in number. Aperture oval, terminating in a strait canal; outer lip thickened at the back by a rib; margin within crenated; pillar lip smooth. » – G. Montagu: Testacea Brittanica vol. I, London 1803, p.261, via BHL.

« The animal is entirely white. The tentacula are subulate, linear, and obtuse. The eyes are placed on their thickened portions, at rather more than a third of their lengths from their bases, which are more separated than is usual in the genus. The foot is large, very long, wide in front, truncated and strongly auriculated, pointed behind, and exhibiting no traces of an operculum. This pretty species frequents sandy and shelly bottoms in various depths of water from the commencement of the laminarian zone to as deep as eighty fathoms. » – Forbes & Hanley: op. cit. vol. III, p.472-473.