This fish is found at depths of up to 950 m in the waters around Hawaii and in the south-eastern Pacific.

It has recently also been recorded on the other side of the Pacific, near Taiwan, and this species probably has a pan-Pacific distribution but has been underrecorded due to the depths in which it lives.

It is unique among rattails in having 7 branchiostegal rays and a large gill opening.

This is a generally very dark, sometimes black, fish with a very large head and small, widely spaced eyes.

There is a small bioluminescent organ located between the pelvic fins.