Relatively common in shallow water, the Soldier or South Australian Cobbler spends its time on the sandy seafloor or in seagrass beds, where it has been responsible for many nasty stings from its venomous dorsal spines. A mottled tan and white, this species has a number of large brown blotches over its body, including a thick band across its large eye. It also has two large spines that can protrude out sideways from the nostrils, although they are usually pressed back against the head under its eyes. It is quite similar to many scorpaeniform fishes, particularly the gurnards (family Neosebastidae), from which it can be differentiated primarily by its blunter snout and well-defined eye-band.
