Found primarily in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and in the Greenland, Kara, Barents and Norwegian Seas, it usually lives at depths of 150-500 m. Coloration can be monochrome dark or striped. The intensity of the monochrome colouration varies from light shades to almost black. The belly is dark, densely pigmented with brownish-black dots. As an adult, it can be up to 60 cm long.