The bareskin dogfish shark has two dorsal, or top, fins and no anal, or unpaired bottom, fin. The dorsal fins each have a large spine on the front edge. However, the rear dorsal fin and its spine are much larger relative to the front fin and spine. The large spine on the rear dorsal fin is typical of all of the sharks in this genus. The body coloration is blackish with no conspicuous markings. The upper and lower teeth each have a single, narrow cusp, or point, and narrow cusplets, or small points, as well. The skin is smooth with few denticles.

The largest bareskin dogfish shark documented was 2 feet (60 centimeters) long. They have not been well studied, thus little is known about their ecology. They are known to live in deep water at 2,395 to 3,937 feet (730 to 1,200 meters) in the western North Pacific off southeastern Japan and the western and southeastern coasts of Australia. They are of no importance in commercial fishing. (See also Dogfish sharks.)