This slender bodied five-gilled sawshark is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: a narrow, relatively long rostrum, with a pre-oral length 27.5-30.6% TL; pre-barbel length 51-55% of pre-oral length; rostral width at nostrils 4.8-6.1 times pre-orbital length. Barbels located closer to the mouth than to rostral tip. First dorsal fin originates posterior to free rear tip of pectoral fin; lateral dermal denticles are unicuspidate, mostly flat, and imbricated; color uniform dark brown above, lighter below; no bars, blotches or other distinctive markings (Ref. 94800).