Growing to a length of 51 cm (20 in), this species has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc wider than long and uniformly light green in color above.

Substantial numbers of greenback stingarees are caught incidentally in trawls; captured rays rarely survive and also tend to abort their young.

Stingaree populations on the New South Wales upper slope, presumably including this species, have declined precipitously as a result of commercial fishing.

The greenback stingaree was described by Australian ichthyologist Allan Riverstone McCulloch in a 1916 volume of the scientific journal Biological Results Endeavour, who gave it the specific epithet viridis from the Latin word for "green".

The type specimen was collected from a depth of 90 m (300 ft) off Green Cape in New South Wales, by the research vessel FIS Endeavour.

[3] Once common, the greenback stingaree occurs in warm-temperate waters from Portland in Victoria to Stradbroke Island off Queensland, including all of Tasmania.

[3][4] The tail is flattened at the base and measures 75–91% as long as the disc; a prominent skin fold runs along each side, and a deep, lance-shaped caudal fin is found at the end.

Given these declines and the continuing intensity of fishing activities within its range, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this ray as Vulnerable.