The sea sweep has deep and strongly compressed body with a thin caudal peduncle.

The head is moderately sized with an almost straight dorsal profile, a short snout and quite large eyes.

Most of the body is covered in very small ctenoid scales and there is a gently curved lateral line.

Adult sea sweeps are found on coastal reefs at depths down to at least 50 metres (160 ft),[3][4] It feeds on plankton over rock reefs where it forms schools while juveniles settle in tide pools and can be found in the brackish waters of estuaries.

The sea sweep is of secondary importance as a target for commercial fisheries and is caught using purse seines and trap nets.