It is found at depths of 1,920–2,910 m (6,300–9,550 ft) off northern British Columbia and off Washington state.

[1][2] Careproctus ovigerum was first formally described as in 1896 Bathyphasma ovigerum by the American ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert with its type locality given as off the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia.

[3] The species is classified in the monospecific genus Bathyphasma by some authorities.

[4] Like other members of the family Liparidae, C. ovigerus is an elongated fish with a gelatinous skin with no scales.

This species closely resembles C. lycopersicus and C. kamikawai, but those two species have tri-lobed teeth in several broad bands while C. ovigerus has simple, sharp recurved teeth in a single narrow band.