The shape of these shells is elongated oval, the aperture is long and narrow, outer and inner lips have fine teeth, with a tongue-shaped radula.

In the living cowry the mantle and the foot are well developed, usually with external antennae.

The mantle is thin, transparent and greyish-white, with many white papillae and covers almost entirely the shell.

These cowries live in warm tropical and subtropical waters, from intertidal zone to the shallow reef, at about 5–25 metres (16–82 ft) of depth, mainly on coral reefs, in caves, under rock slabs or on sandy seabed.

They fear daylight and feed at dawn or dusk on algae, sponges, coral polyps and small crustaceans.