The body is laterally compressed, particularly the rear third, where it flattens as it joins the caudal fin and forms an extended tail.

Several bright red lateral stripes and spots mark the body and vary in intensity depending on the age and condition of the individual.

[4][5] Fire eels occur across a relatively broad area covering a large part of lowland Southeast Asia, including central and southern Thailand, Cambodia, southern Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia), and Sumatra (Indonesia).

[1][3] They inhabit slow-moving rivers and flood plains, and are bottom-dwellers that typically are found in places with a muddy bottom.

The fire eel feeds on invertebrates (such as insect larvae, worms, and crustaceans), smaller fish, plant matter, and detritus.