 As with most sculpins, it is only partially scaled and has a broad head and large eyes, with a slimmer body.Red Irish lords are also characterized by a dorsal fin separated into three notches, with an average of 10 to 12 dorsal spines, and 18–20 dorsal soft rays.It possesses several bands of scales along its body, the dorsal band being about 4–5 scales wide, with another band below the lateral line that is about 10 scales wide.