Body stout; snout round, short (length 0.9-1.3 in distance between nostrils); eyes small; nasal opening small and well separated; nasal flaps low, broadly triangular; upper front teeth broadly triangular, finely serrated, lower front teeth with narrow, straight points; 5 gill slits, last 2 over pectoral fin base; first dorsal very high, triangular, origin over rear of base of pectoral; origin of second dorsal over anal origin; pectoral long, wide, curved, tip pointed to rounded; prominent crest between dorsal fins; tail fin strongly asymmetrical, with well developed lower lobe, undulating ridge along dorsal surface of top lobe, and a ventral notch near tip of that lobe; notch on top of tail base.
Bronze to grey above, belly whitish.
Size: 250 cm.
Habitat: inshore and offshore, coastal pelagic, demersal over sandy and muddy bottoms, bay mouths, river mouths.
Depth: 0-1800 m.
Circumtropical; there are reports from the Galapagos and the Revillagigedos; however there are no known specimens from our region.
