[3] The overall colour of the body is tan with many black, brown and orange spots which meld together to create dark, vertical bars along the posterior of the ventral surface.

[1] The spotted sand bass is normally found in shallow, warm-water areas in bays and harbours as well as sheltered coastal environments.

[6] The spotted sand bass is carnivorous and they feed mainly on crustaceans, bivalves, and small fishes,[5] The spawning season is from May until September.

[2] The spotted sand bass was first formally described as Serranus maculatofasciatus in 1868 by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1919) with the type locality given as Mazatlan in Sinaloa, Mexico.

[7] The spotted sand bass is an important quarry species for recreational game fisheries where it is caught in bays and harbors.