Chinese trumpetfish in shape to the anal fin which is just under. The pelvic fins are located in the middle of the body and are small, with one basal black spot. The body coloration can be uniform or mottled in a range of grey, brown, or dark green. Some fish are uniformly bright yellow. The rear part of the body is normally black with white dots. Two black spots are present on the tail. The compound set of the long caudal peduncle and the caudal fin is yellowish, whatever the fish coloration. Caudal fin usually has two round black spots, at least
Squalus montalbani similar to others in the mitsukrii group: The dorsal surface is a light grey, and the ventral surface is white. The caudal bar is a dark bar found on the caudal fin of some species, including some sharks. Like other sharks in the mitsukurii group, the Philippines spurdog has a caudal bar which is dark and almost upright, however the caudal bar extends further in "S. montalbani" than "S. mitsukurii", allowing visual differentiation of the species. An additional coloration pattern distinguishes the two species: a dark blotch on the upper lobe of the caudal fin appears in both "S. montalbani"