A new subspecies of the widespread South African volute, Athleta abyssicola (Adams and Reeve, 1848), is described from deep water off the Namib Desert coast of Namibia. The new subspecies, Athleta abyssicola massieri, differs from the nominate subspecies in being a stockier, squatter shell with a lower spire, in having a much coarser shell sculpture, and in having proportionally larger columellar plications. Keywords: Volutidae, Athletinae, Athleta, Namibia.