The bareskin dogfish has no anal fin. It has grooved dorsal spines with the second larger than the first, a smaller first dorsal fin, blunt nose, large eyes, large nostrils, widely spaced and sparse denticles, and is dark in color with white-tipped fins. It is stout and grows to a maximum of 40 cm.[4][5] Like other species in the family Etmopteridae (lanternsharks), the bareskin dogfish has a bioluminescent organ on the ventral side; however, perhaps owing to the depth at which the species lives, it has relatively fewer photophores on its ventral skin than other bioluminescent sharks.[6]
^Roberts, Clive; Stewart, A. L.; Struthers, Carl D.; Barker, Jeremy; Kortet, Salme; Freeborn, Michelle (2015). The fishes of New Zealand. Vol. 2. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 141. ISBN9780994104168. OCLC908128805.
^FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1, Sharks of the World