Longnose cusk-eel

Cusk eels are not true eels. Unlike true eels, they have forked ventral fins: organs attached to the pectoral muscles just below the mouth. They do however, like eels, have an attenuate body and tend to have mouths in the terminal position with cardiform teeth. Though fairly small, the band cusk-eel has a complicated skeletal system. There are 20 ribs to allow for flexibility and 66-69 vertebrae along the spinal cord. This specific variation is a dull tan and lacks scales on the top of the head. The dorsal and anal fins are continuous with the caudal and lined in black. The body is fairly deep and number of rays, used to identify species, varies. The typical range is 117-132 dorsal rays, 97-109 anal, and 19-21 pectoral.

Cask eels tend to live in the bottom of shallow areas of water and take shelter in anything from caves to other invertebrates. Crevices and mud or sand burrows can be home to solitary fish or groups. A full distribution map of this species has not been made.

Little is known about the behavior of cusk eels in general and what is known is not often specific to species. Many cusk eels are known to cohabitate alongside or within the bodies of invertebrates. Most are known to burrow during the day, possibly to conserve energy and/or avoid predators. This burrowing has been caught on video in multiple species and occurs tail first, the fish backing up and down into soft sand or mud until covered. In soniferous species, a loud jackhammer-like sound is emitted by males for the attraction of a mate. They are thought to feed on small invertebrates such as shrimp or worms.