Description. Shell of medium size, moderately elevated, umbilicus narrow; whorls flattened below suture; spiral sculpture of fine striae, axial sculpture of fine growth lines; parietal callus white, only partially filling umbilicus; operculum corneous, paucispiral, filling aperture. Length 30-40 mm.
Type Locality and Type Specimens. Icy Cape, Alaska, Arctic Ocean. Type material unknown (Majima, 1989:37).
Distribution. Arctic Ocean, south to Mexican border; also Japan (Marincovich, 1977:277).
Habitat. Common on soft bottoms; at depths of 100-500 m in southern California. Occurring in shallower water in the northern part of its distribution; it may occur in the intertidal zone in Alaska.
Remarks. This is the most commonly occurring member of the family at continental shelf and slope depths in the northeastern Pacific. Additional synonyms were cited by Marincovich (1977:277).

Diagnostic characters
Shell distinct from that of other Euspira species in the small size of the umbilicus, the reduction in size of the ridges entering it, the broad columellar lip, and generally pale colour.

Other characters
The whorls are slightly tumid, the sutures well marked. The outer lip arises at right angles to the surface of the last whorl, its initial part convex. White or cream, sometimes brownish, sometimes with brown flecks. Up to 20mm high, 18 mm broad; last whorl occupies 90-95% of shell height, aperture 75-80%.
The animal is like that of other species.
E. pallida is a circumpolar species which stretches south at increasing depths. Records from round the British Isles are few and mainly northern. The animals live on clay bottoms from 10 to 2000 m deep, the greater depths in the southern part of the range. Their spawn has been described by Thorson (1935, 1946), Lebour (1937) and MacGinitie (1959): the collar has a diameter of 30-45 mm but is recognizable by the fact that it contains rather few egg capsules which are well spaced and leave the upper and lower margins of the collar unoccupied. Each capsule contains only 1-2 large eggs which hatch as juveniles, the free larval stage being suppressed.