Body uniformly silvery. Pelvic fin very small.

Occur on continental shelf, along its edge and upper slope down to 400 m (600 m in Australia), usually over sandy and muddy bottoms from 100 to 250 m (over 300 m in Australia). Migrate into midwater at night. Form schools; occasionally found inshore in upwelling of deep water when it appears at surface.

Feed on crustaceans, small squid and fish.

Eggs and larvae are pelagic. Little is known of biology. About 500 tonnes are caught each year and sold to Japan and Korea.
In winter months occasionally found washed up on Otago shores.

NZ Marine Fishes: Paul
Nakamura, I. and N.V. Parin, 1993. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 15. Snake mackerels and cutlassfishes of the world (families Gempylidae and Trichiuridae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the snake mackerels, snoeks, escolars, gemfishes, sackfishes, domine, oilfish, cutlassfishes,. scabbardfishes, hairtails, and frostfishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(15):136 p.