Adults have elongate upper pectoral-fin rays and are silvery with a broad black band from the nape to the pectoral-fin base. Average weight is 1800 g.

Adults demersal on the continental shelf and upper slope (Ref. 9563) to depths of 450 m (Ref. 33616). Juveniles tend to live near shallow reefs (Ref. 6390). Postlarvae inhabit offshore waters and are found in surface waters at night.

Bottom-dwelling reef fish which feed on small benthic and near-bottom invertebrates such as polychaete worms, crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms . Their small mouths and weak dentition prevent even the largest from eating hard-shelled animals.

Daily limit of 15. More common in the South. Flesh has a very high fat content.

NZ Marine Fishes: Paul www.fishbase.org/summary/10106 Kailola, P.J., M.J. Williams, P.C. Stewart, R.E. Reichelt, A. McNee and C. Grieve, 1993. Australian fisheries resources. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Canberra, Australia. 422 p.