The juvenile is silvery on the sides, blue grey dorsally, adults are green or brown with fine mottled lines of white, which gives a marbled appearance.Their length is between 40 and 60cm.

Found around New Zealand coasts in depths down to 40m. Often found amongst seaweed or in rock crevices.

Marblefish are herbiverous, feeding on seaweed but they also eat the small invertebrates which live on the seaweed.

They are active at twilight and during the day rest in crevices or amongst dense seaweed. Little is known about the life history of this fish, however juveniles settle out of the plankton when they are about 45mm long in the late spring to early summer. Part of the combined finfish bag of 30 per person per day, no size limit.

Paulin, C., Roberts, C., 1992, Rockpool Fishes of New Zealand. Museum of New Zealand, Te PapaTongarewa.