[2] It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort in 1916.

[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indian Ocean, including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

It inhabits burrows in soft sediments, and leads a nocturnal lifestyle.

Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 centimetres.

[2] The fintail serpent eel is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and is primarily used for fishing bait.