The front of the pelvic fin is yellowish white, paler towards the rear, There is a large black spot on lateral line just behind the upper part of the gill opening.

[1] Polydactylus sextarius is found where there are sandy and muddy bottoms on the continental shelf[1] and it appears to favour depths of 16 to 73 metres (52 to 240 ft).

This carnivorous species has its diet dominated by shrimps of less than 20 millimetres (0.79 in) length and amphipods but it has also been recorded feeding on crabs, mysids, fishes and polychaetes.

The species undergoes a protandrous sex change starting as juveniles, becoming hermaphrodites and ending as females progression.

They first reach sexual maturity as hermaphrodites which function as males and there is no evidence which suggests that females develop directly from juveniles.