Description:
False ceriths reach 0.5 - 0.75 inches in length.  Shell color is nearly any shade of black through gray or white. There are 6 -8 body whorls ending at a sharp apex.  Typically has sculpted vertical ribs interrupted by knobby ridges.  The shell aperture is oval and has a round operculum that is spirally etched.  The short siphonal canal is twisted somewhat to the left. 

Habitat:
False ceriths are very common in sands and mud of the shallow intertidal zone. 

Similar Species:
False ceriths resemble ceriths of the genera Cerithidea and Cerithium, especially the dwarf cerith (Cerithium lutosum), but tend to be less elongate in shape, have a thinner outer lip, and an oval operculum covering the shell aperture.

Range:  
False ceriths range from South Florida through the West Indies to Brazil.