Head and body broad, head width 1.2-1.7 times its length, covered with tiny blunt knobs in juveniles to almost smooth in adults. Body whitish below usually with two broad, vertical, dark-brown, variously distinct bands or saddles across back, most distinct in juveniles and small adults.

Found on sand or mud bottoms. Depth range 10 - 500 m.

Their usual habit is to bury themselves in sand, and leap upwards to ambush prey (benthic fish and invertebrates) that pass overhead.

Stargazers are venomous; they have two large poison spines situated behind their gill covers and above their pectoral fins.

Gomon, M.F. and C.D. Roberts, 2011. A second New Zealand species of the stargazer genus Kathetostoma (Trachinoidei: Uranoscopidae). Zootaxa 2776:1-12. http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=65946 accessed 20/02/14