Relatively small species with pale body and dark black bars when adult and mottled colour pattern while juvenile. It is well known to most prawn fishermen because of the painful sting inflicted by its venomous dorsal spines. A closely related species, the western fortescue Centropogon latifrons, occurs in southern Western Australia in much the same habitat but is less common.

• Max Size: 15 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 15.5-26.1°C
• Depth: 0-30m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef, Seagrass, Soft sediment

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Infrequent (8% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Several (8 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.