Looks a little like a small shark because of it's underslung jaw and dorsal fins being set well back on the body. Inside of mouth and gills purplish. Lower lip of mouth with elongated forked papillae ("pimples!").

Found sporadically in sandy bays and on the edge of the continental shelf. Inhabits sandy bottoms along the shoreline to depths of 200 m. Nocturnal, found buried in sand or mud during the day.

Feeds on benthic and burrowing invertebrates

Pelagic young preyed upon by seabirds or found ashore during bad weather.

A Treasury of New Zealand Fishes: Graham
Whitehead, P.J.P., 1984. Gonorhynchidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean fishing area 51. Vol. 2. [pag. var.] FAO, Rome. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/4528