Body very elongate, cylindrical at the front; head long with a long pointed snout; large protractile mouth with a distinctly protruding lower jaw; jaws and roof of mouth with many long sharp-edged teeth of unequal sizes; two widely separated dorsal fins (V + I, 8-10); small pectorals, 16 rays; pelvics I, 5, small, origin of well behind pectoral fins, under first dorsal fin; anal fin small, II, 8-10, similar to and under 2nd dorsal; a forked tail; without central lobes; a well-developed, straight lateral line; small smooth scales, 166 on lateral line.
Brownish to bluish above, sometimes with faint oblique bars on back, silvery below; lateral line dark; fins with grey rays and yellowish membranes.
Size: 157 cm.
Habitat: coastal and oceanic, nearbottom to surface.
Depth: 0-38 m.
California to the tip of Baja, the SW Gulf of California and the Revillagigedos Islands.
