This relatively large weedfish has a long, pointed snout, a long unbranched pair of tentacles above the eyes, and large nasal tentacles. It has a similar long first dorsal fin to species in the Cristiceps genus, particularly C. australis, but differs most obviously by the origin of the dorsal fin being further backwards. In Cristiceps australis the first dorsal fin starts directly above the eye. The species is common among large seaweeds on sheltered and moderately exposed Tasmanian and Victorian reefs, but is very well camouflaged and remains hidden most of the time.

• Max Size: 30 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 10.6-23.9°C
• Depth: 0-10m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Frequent (10% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.