[4] It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena.

[5] It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including southern Portugal, the Mediterranean, and Morocco.

It dwells at a depth range of 75–800 metres, and inhabits mud and sand on the continental slope.

Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres (2 ft 0 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 35 centimetres (1 ft 2 in).

[4] The thinlip conger feeds on crustaceans including crabs such as Goneplax rhomboides, shrimp and prawns such as Alpheus glaber, Calocaris macandreae, Processa canaliculata, and mysids.