[5] The first examples of this fish were misidentified by Staiger as Bassogigas profundissimus, before being described as a new species by Jørgen G. Nielsen in 1977.

[2] Reproduction is oviparous, possibly with pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass as in other members of the family.

The teeth are small and pointed, arranged in irregular rows; the two median and single pair of basibranchial (on the most ventral gill arch) tooth patches are distinctive for this species.

The lateral line is visible only on the frontmost part of the body and lacks developed pores.

The coloration is yellowish; the branchial cavity is black and the peritoneum dark brown.