Eastern school whiting prey on various crustaceans and polychaete worms, with the diet varying seasonally and throughout the range of the species.

[3] The eastern school whiting belongs to the subgenus Parasillago, which is one of three subgenera erected during a comprehensive review of the Sillaginidae in 1985 by McKay.

The local name of 'red-spot whiting' refers to the diagonal lines of red spots present on the fish's upper side.

The rarely used name of 'Bass Straight whiting' refers to oceanic strait between the Victorian and Tasmanian coastlines, where large quantities of the species are taken in trawls.

The most reliable features for distinguishing the species are the number of fins spines and rays and the shape of the swim bladder.

The coloration is very similar to S. bassensis but differs in that the oblique bars are wider, more regular and without the appearance of effused dots or spots, as well as lacking the mid-lateral blotches.

[2] They prefer clean sandy substrates, rarely occupying silty or seagrass beds and have never been found in estuarine waters.

[8] The average diet of eastern school whiting consists mainly of various crustaceans, principally amphipods, decapods, mysidaceans and copepods.

Many of the food items of the species vary in range, as well as seasonal abundance, therefore having an impact on the diets of different groups of fish.

[11] The eastern school whiting is primarily a target of commercial fishermen operating offshore seines and trawls, with recreational catches generally rare.

The Queensland and smaller fisheries form the basis of a lucrative export market whereby whole frozen fish are shipped to Thailand where they are processed and sent to Japan.