[1] Two subspecies are recognized :[1] This is a large cowry species, with specimens averaging 80mm and measuring up to 115mm.

The rings are likened to eye spots, thus the common name eyed cowry and the specific epithet argus (after Argus Panoptes, the many-eyed Greek giant).

The aperture is relatively straight, has well-developed teeth, and is flanked by two dark-brown blotches on each side (the blotches on the outer lip are sometimes small and indistinct).

This species and its subspecies are distributed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Notably, it is found in the seas off Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.