This placoderm looks very much like Coccosteus cuspidatus, except there are some slight differences in the morphology of the dermal plates of the head and body. From Orkney, the tails are never preserved on the specimens. The species does not occur in the finely laminated fish beds like the Sandwick Fish Bed and so only isolated dermal plates are preserved. However, from Banniskirk in Caithness specimens are known showing the tail.

Median dorsal plate in external and internal view.

Nuchal plate and reconstruction (after Miles & Westoll 1963).