The type locality of D. hunteri is Queen Mary Land, off the Shackleton Ice Shelf at 65°06'S, 96°13'E.

Waite did not explain the reason for using dakos but it may refer to the single row of teeth in each jaw with a spaced line of large canines to the inside of them.

The upper and lower jaws are curved so that a gap forms along the length of the closed mouth.

The notochord partly persists in adults and the spine has reduced amounts of bone because the centra are not wholly constricted.

This predatory species has a diet which comprises relatively large individuals of the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum).