The Arctic shanny was first formally described in 1780 as Blennius punctatus by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius, giving its type locality as Western Greenland.

[6] The Arctic shanny has the moderately elongated, laterally compressed body which is covered in tiny cycloid scales and scaleless head of te genus Stichaeus.

The single lateral line does not reach the caudal fin and appears to be an extension of the post orbital sensory canal.

The reddish dorsal fin is marked with diffuse grey spots and 5 ocelli with yellow centres and blackish edges.

It is a demersal fish found at depths from 0 to 100 m (0 to 328 ft) in area of sand and rock below the low tide mark.