A large plain sweetlips of sand and rubble edges; the juvenile is striped and looks unrelated.
To about 100 cm. Adults are plain silver-grey with thick pale lips and sometimes a scattering of small dark spots on the upper body and fins. Juveniles are boldly striped in black and white or brown and yellow and swim with a rolling motion, in the manner of other sweetlips juveniles; the adult and juvenile of this species are so different that they are logged separately by most divers.
Adults are found singly or in small groups above sand and rubble at the base of slopes, and feed on benthic invertebrates at night. They hold position when a diver approaches slowly and then drift away steadily rather than fleeing. Juveniles are found in shallow rubble and around jetty structure and are a common find on muck sites. Recorded from about 3 to 45 m.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.