Mottled black and white pattern which, from a distance, can be mistaken for that of a fortescue; however, the two species are easily separated because the soldierfish has smooth skin with no scales. They pose a hazard to barefoot bathers because of the venomous spines. In late winter and early spring adult soldierfish leave these shallow seagrass beds to congregate in deeper water in huge concentrations, presumably for spawning. The species is quite slow growing and large soldierfish are considerably older (more than 10 years) than most other species at the same size.

• Max Size: 23 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 10.2-23.2°C
• Depth: 0-26m
• Habitat: Seagrass, Soft sediment

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Rare (1% 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: Solitary (1 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.