These snails have rounded shells with a high spire, an oval aperture, and a siphonal notch. This family of snails is found worldwide. These snails are found mostly in shallow water, on sandy or muddy substrates, often intertidally, but sometimes in deep water. They can be present in very large numbers in suitable habitat.
The family Nassariidae is closely related to the family of the true whelks, Buccinidae, because of their shared characteristics in the anatomy of the species in these families a long proboscis, the loss of glandular dorsal folds, and a smaller gland of Leiblein. According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Nassariidae consists of four subfamilies: Nassariinae, Bullinae, Cylleninae & Dorsaninae.