Up to 50 cm or more long and 0.5 cm wide. The body is extremely soft and pliable. Uniformly coloured, beautiful rich reddish- or orange-brown. The cephalic lobe is rounded and distinct, much broader than the trunk. In the posterior intestinal regions the body may appear somewhat translucent and golden-yellowish in hue. In alcohol or formalin, the colour changes to a dull creamy-white, marked by a characteristic band of dark reddish-brown encircling the body in the foregut region. The width of this pigmented band is variable, but its anterior margin is invariably precisely marked, in contrast to the posterior limits, which may be sharply defined also or merely fade to remaining body colour. Body wall with a dorsal muscle cross only. Lateral sensory organs are present.
Externally resembles Tubulanus theeli , which, however, possesses both dorsal and ventral muscle crosses between the body wall circular muscle layers.
On sandy or gravelly bottoms at depths up to 45-50 m or more.
Wide geographic range in the northern hemisphere, extending from the Pacific coast of North America eastwards to the Mediterranean and the northern coasts of Europe.