First described by Carl Chun in 1915, with a second subspecies discovered by Guy Coburn Robson in 1924, it was named for the distinctive membranes on its arms.

The species is found in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

[4] Reiterating Chun, Guy Robson summarized the differences between Eledone and V. togata as "the possession of (a) a funnel organ composed of two separate pieces, (b) a sigmoid bend in the hectocotylized arm, and (c) the development of extensive lateral membranes on the arms".

Robson, however, was not fully convinced that the shape of the hectocotylized arm was of value in identifying the species, positing that the curve could have been caused by a shrinkage of the membrane.

He noted that while two of his specimens appeared to be fully sexually developed, their hectocotyli looked comparatively underdeveloped.

Moreover, the wide size range of the sampled population, with a considerable number of small individuals (possibly only a few days old), suggests the existence of an extended reproduction period.".

[6] Analyzing the spermatophores and eggs of the captured specimens, the 2009 study found that V. togata had a low fecundity value, with females having large eggs and males producing a low number of large spermatophores (the largest reported of any deep-sea member of the suborder Incirrina).

[4] The four specimens described by Guy Robson as being members of a separate subspecies (Velodona togata capensis) were caught off the "Natal coast" (modern KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa) at depths of between 220 fathoms (402.3 meters) and 250 fathoms (457.2 meters).

[2][3][Note 1] In 2009, a Spanish research vessel conducted a study of the cephalopod population off the coast of Mozambique.

[6] The conservation status of V. togata was assessed as data deficient by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2018.