Its color is dull purplish or brown, when worn often orange, obliquely streaked with white or unicolored.

The seven whorls are flattened, the upper ones finely spirally striate and sometimes very obsoletely plicate.

The base of the shell is flattened, slightly convex, obliquely streaked, concave and white around the umbilicus.

The thin columella is obtusely dentate, ending above in a white callus which partly covers the umbilicus.

It is usually found on kelp; once it falls to the bottom, it is easy prey for a number of predators, including sea stars, whelks, and octopus.