« Murex with eight taper, costated spires, terminating in a sharp pointed apex, slightly, but elegantly reticulated, as if covered with fine gauze. The volutions are scarcely elevated between the ribs, and only separated by a fine thread-like line. Aperture narrow, oblong-oval, ending in a canal turning a little to one side ; outer lip sharp ; inner lip replicate, smooth, glossy. Colour various, sometimes yellowish-white, others pale purplish-brown, or rufous ; but the most beautiful variety is of a blush-colour, with the decudaled striae white. » – G Montagu: Testacea brittanica part I, London 1803, via BHL.

The shells of fuscata and nebula differ from that of spalatina by this microsculpture, made up of spirals that are uneven in strength and in distribution, while they are thinner, of the same strength and evenly disposed in spalatina.