The angular roughshark is generally 3.3 ft, but some reach lengths of 4.9 ft. The area around their eyes is very detailed – they have ridges that expand into large knobs. The ridges themselves are covered with denticles.

These sharks have a tight body, triangular cross-section, and a broad and flattened head. The snout is flat and blunt, with two relatively large, sail-like dorsal fins. Inside their mouth, they have 12 rows of teeth on both jaws – those on the upper part being lanceolate, while those on the lower jaw are more blade-like.

The primary way to distinguish this shark from other species in its genus is the light horizontal line below the eyes on their cheek. Their color scheme is grey or grey-brown dorsally with dark blotched marks on its head and sides.

These sharks live in coralline algal and muddy bottoms on continental shelves and upper slopes. The depth at which they are found ranges from 160 to 2,170 ft, but they mostly stay below 330 ft.