Male and female Australian reticulate swellsharks are known to attain lengths of and respectively. This species has a stocky body and a short, broad, and strongly flattened head. The snout is broadly rounded, with the
nostrils preceded by laterally expanded skin flaps that do not reach the mouth. The slit-like eyes are placed high on the head, and are followed by tiny
spiracles. The mouth is long, wide, and strongly arched, without furrows at the corners; the upper teeth are exposed when the mouth is closed. There are 49–63 upper tooth rows and 45–60 lower tooth rows. Females have much smaller teeth than males of comparable size; each tooth has three cusps and rarely 1–2 additional lateral cusplets. The fourth and fifth pairs of
gill slits lie over the
pectoral fin bases and are shorter than the first three. The pectoral fins are fairly small, narrow, and angular. The
pelvic fins are small, with long, elongate
claspers in males. The first
dorsal fin has a rounded apex and originates over the posterior half of the pelvic fin bases. The second dorsal fin is much smaller and roughly triangular. The rounded to angular
anal fin is substantially larger than, and placed slightly behind, the second dorsal fin. The
caudal fin is moderately large, with a distinct lower lobe and a strong ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The
dermal denticles are tiny and arrowhead-shaped, with a median ridge in males and both median and lateral ridges in females. This shark is light grayish to brownish above, with narrow dark lines that form a series of open-centered saddles and narrow rings from the head to the tail; some individuals have small, scattered yellow spots or a dark ring or spot atop each pectoral fin. The underside is a uniform beige. ==Distribution and habitat==