Slender and rather small shells for the C. urceus complex: average height 26.6- 32.5 mm (types). The shell is lightweight, shiny and thin walled. Spire whorls consists of two protoconch whorls, which are coloured white to mostly purple glassy, and five more whorls with many axials. Earlier whorls with thinner axial ribs and some varices. Body whorl dorsally rather smooth, with the exception of axially aligned knobs on the shoulder, axial growth lines and spiral ridges that run along the anterior canal, becoming obsolete towards the shoulder.

The axial ribbing continues on the ventral side of the shell, as the spiral ribbing towards the anterior end. Spire whorls with a ramp towards the shoulder. Penultimate whorl runs back to the shell below the shoulder. The rather straight and narrow wing has a strong ridge just before the end of it, only dorsally.

Aperture wide, with a well-defined columellar callus that is sharply cut and raised a bit, attached to the ventral side of the body whorl with a gutter. Smooth columella in the middle and both ends bear strong white lirae. Place of attachment below
the shoulder. Inside of the outer lip with visible white spiral lirae.
Outer lip thickened and white. Strombid notch very shallow, almost obsolete. Colour of the shell consists of three vague bands of orange-brown on a white background, the one at the anterior end broadest and the one under the suture smallest.
These bands show through at the aperture. The white bands end in four white spots on the outside part of the labrum and a broad one at the anterior end. The anterior channel ends in a black spot.