Asian swamp eels lack fins and have scaleless, cylindrical bodies with tails that taper at the end. The mouth contains bristle-like teeth and there is a distinctive v-shaped gill on the throat. Overall, the coloration is variations of green, brown, and olive with the ventral side being lighter in coloration. In the U.S., Asian swamp eels are sometimes mistaken for the native American eel (Anguilla rostrata; but the Asian swamp eel is not a true eel and belongs to the fish family Synbranchidae. True eels have small pectoral fins and paired gills on each side of the head.