Adults have a black blotch by the pectoral fin, juveniles have many blotches on the upper body.

Most common South of Cook Strait. Adults inhabit continental shelf and slope waters. Reported from depths between 22 m and 400m. They are schooling species, usually aggregating close to the sea bed although there is some evidence that they move into the middle water column at night. Juveniles recorded offshore to a depth of 100 m and sometimes entering estuaries,

Feed mainly on salps but also takes euphausiids, krill, crabs and small squid

Kuiter, R.H., 1993. Coastal fishes of south-eastern Australia. University of Hawaii Press. Honolulu, Hawaii. 437 p

NZ Marine Fishes: Paul