It is whitish in colour, with brown patches, and grows to a total length of around 7 mm (0.3 in).

It lives on soft sediment such as fine sand at depths of 10 to 50 metres (33 to 164 ft), from northern Norway to the west coast of Ireland, including the North Sea,[3] and as far south as the southern Bay of Biscay.

The third pereiopod or thoracic leg is particularly stout and has a curved propodus (penultimate joint) and powerful dactylus (claw); the fourth pereiopod is smaller; in males, these two legs have long, plumose setae (bristles).

The abdomen ends in a short telson, cleft for three quarters of its length, which is flanked by uropods to form a tail fan.

[3][5] This amphipod can swim using its abdominal legs and orienting itself on its side and can also burrow in the soft substrate.