The species is distributed through parts of the west Pacific Ocean including Japan, Taiwan, Korea and India, inhabiting the tidal flats of major estuaries.

Minor fisheries exist for the small-scale whiting, although it is thought be endangered by habitat loss and pollutionIUCN.

The small-scale whiting is very similar in external appearance to many other members of the genus Sillago, which have a slightly compressed, elongate body tapering toward the terminal mouth.

[3] The small-scale whiting occupies a fairly restricted range in the northwest Pacific Ocean consisting of southern Japan, Taiwan, Korea[6] and India.

[7] In Japan the species is known from the southern half of the island chain below Tokyo in the west and Yokohama in the east.

The species inhabits waters from 0 to 30 m in depth, often found on well developed tidal flats in the estuaries of large rivers.

[8] Like other sillaginids, S. parvisquamis is a benthic predator and is known to consume a variety of crustaceans, molluscs and annelid worms.

[12] Like many species of Sillago in the Asian region, S. parvisquamis is commonly taken in seines from beaches and estuaries but often suffers the same fate of other lesser known sillaginids in being confused with S.

[9] The discovery of the species in Korea in 1996 suggests its range may be greater than previously supposed, and thus less in danger of extinction than proposed by Sano and Mochizuchi.