All buchanosteids tend to have flattened (of varying degrees depending on the genus) heads, with most genera also having large orbits.

It had a narrow skull, and the dermal surfaces of the bony armor were covered in a pattern of fine, granular tubercles.

A large buchanosteid from the Taemas-Weejasper Reef of Emsian-aged New South Wales, its skull roof suggests the living animal was fairly broad and flat.

A small, large-eyed stem buchanosteid, it is known from Late Lochkovian-aged strata of the Connemarra Formation in Central New South Wales.

Another one of the Taemas-Weejasper Reef buchanosteids, Parabuchanosteus was originally described as a species of Buchanosteus, but was then promoted to its own genus due to differences in anatomy.