[3] It was described by David G. Smith and James Erwin Böhlke in 1981.

[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Venezuela and the Gulf of Mexico, and possibly more locations.

[3] It is known to dwell at a depth range of 128 to 280 meters (420 to 919 ft).

Males can reach a maximum total length of 20.1 centimeters (7.9 in).

[3] The species epithet "pygmaea", meaning "small" in Greek, refers to the small size of mature specimens.