[3] Chilomycterus reticulatus has a rotund body, which can be inflated, with a wide, blunt head and large eyes.

The body is covered in small spines which are triangular on cross section, some of which are reduced to plates under the skin.

[5][1] Chilomycterus reticulatus is found among coral and rocky reefs at depths down to 140m, but has also been caught in trawls over softer substrates.

It is normally found at depths of less than 25m and it feeds mainly on hard shelled invertebrates, including molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans.

They eggs and larvae are pelagic, juveniles are often found among floating weed mats and become demersal at around 20 cm.