[4] It was described by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel in 1846.

[5] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including East Africa, the Society Islands, and southern Japan.

It is the only worm eel in its region which possesses pectoral fins.

Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres.

[4] The Finned worm eel's diet consists of bony fish and benthic crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp, prawns, amphipods and stomatopods.