Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and the Persian Gulf to New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Formerly common in the Western Central Pacific, apparently declining in some areas.

Greyish above, pale below; fins usually pale. Body shark-like, pectoral fins distinct; head flattened, with a blade-like snout bearing 18-22 pairs of lateral teeth; blade slender, not tapering distally. Nostrils very narrow with small nasal flaps. Rostral teeth short, flattened, broadly triangular, lacking a groove along posterior margins; no teeth on basal quarter of blade. Adults with widely spaced denticles, young with naked skin.

Found inshore, often in river deltas and estuaries; penetration well up rivers needs confirmation. Common in sheltered bays with sandy bottoms. Feeds on small fish and cuttlefish.