Body very elongate, robust, 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); small pectorals, 11-13 rays; pelvics I, 5, small, origin under pectoral fins, before first dorsal fin; anal fins small, II, 8, similar to and under 2nd dorsal; a forked tail; with central lobes; a well-developed, straight lateral line; small smooth scales, 75-85 on lateral line.
Mid-grey above, paler below, ~ 20 oblique dark bars on back, extending below lateral line at rear; dorsals, tail and anal fin blackish, with white contrasting tips; body with scattered irregular black blotches.
Size: 200 cm.
Habitat: coastal and oceanic, nearbottom to surface.
Depth: 0-25 m.
Atlantic and Indo-central Pacific; vagrant at the Galapagos and western Panama.
