« Shell turreted, lengthened, nicely clathrate […] radial costae 18-20 in number, colourless and devoid of granulations; the spiral beads are coloured, between the costae, with interrupted red lines; spire elevated, apex mammillated; whorls 7, rounded, separated from each other by a deep suture; aperture ovate, almost equal in heigh to the third of the total length [of the shell]; labrum remotely furrowed internally, and rmiided externally with a strong varice; canal short, thick, enlarged anteriorly. » – N. Tiberi: Des testacés de la Méditerranée qui doivent être compris dans les genres Lachesis et Nesaea de Risso”, Journal de Conchyliologie vol. 16, Paris 1868, p.76.

Young shell from 40m deep, off Le Scole, south of the harbour, Isola del Giglio, Toscana, W. Italy. 5mm. Notice the colourless radials described by Tiberi. In fact, despite what Tiberi wrote, nodosities do exist at the intersections with the spiral cords.