Speckled blotches on pale blue-grey back, pale lower body, row of black dashes along side often surrounded by vertically elongate reddish blotches, light brown bar above, tail with white streak, and dark bar from eye to lower cheek. Dark bar from eye to lower cheek distinguishes it from P. xanthozona (Peppered Grubfish) and P. clathrata (Spothead Grubfish). Also lacks spot behind eye of males, as in the latter species. Endemic to eastern Australia.

• Max Size: 18 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 16.2-27.8°C
• Depth: 1-20 m
• Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef, Soft sediment

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Infrequent (5% 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.