Species of Lepidasthenia are found worldwide to depths of about 1200 m but are more common in shallower water.

[1] Lepidasthenia species are long-bodied scale worms with up to 150 segments and 50 to 100 or more pairs of elytra.

Elytra are small, do not overlap, and leave the dorsal region of the body mostly uncovered; on the posterior region there is one pair of elytra every three segments.

The lateral antennae are inserted terminally on the distal ends of the bilobed prostomium.

The neuropodia are deeply divided vertically into anterior and posterior lobes.