The white warehou is distinguished from the silver warehou by its creamy white colouring, deeper body, smaller head and larger eyes. It has very small scales that are not easily visible and there is no pitting on the body.  The head is dark brownish but this pigment does not extend rearwards in a point to reach the dorsal fin as it does in the silver warehou.

The species is mainly found in southern New Zealand and is mostly taken as a bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries for hoki and silver warehou.  White warehou are found in deeper water than their relatives, ranging from 400 to 700 metres.

The existence of three possible spawning areas for white warehou (Mernoo Bank, Puysegur Bank and the west coast of South Island), at the same time of the year, suggests the possibility of three separate stocks.