Western school whiting are known to grow to 30 cm in length and 275 g in weight, although unconfirmed reports suggest this might be an underestimate.

It is often found in association with other sillaginids and comprises a minor fraction of commercial whiting catches in Western Australia.

[2] The species is commonly referred to as the 'western school whiting' in Australian literature, causing confusion with Sillago bassensis, which was previously given this name before S. vittata was described.

[2] The western school whiting is similar in appearance to a number of geographically overlapping sillaginids, with colouring and swimbladder morphology the best identification features.

The species is known to reach a maximum length of 30 cm and 275 g,[6] although unconfirmed reports from Shark Bay indicate they may grow significantly larger.

[7] The swimbladder is very similar to S. bassensis and S. robusta, with a median anterior extension and very poorly developed anterolateral projections.

In larger, albeit unconfirmed, specimens taken at Shark Bay the colour was a golden yellow shade all over, still having the species characteristic banding.

In shallower waters it inhabits weed banks, coral reef[7] and sandy substrates including beaches, often mingling with other species of sillaginids.

[2] Systematic studies in lower Western Australia found the species to be most common between 5 and 15 m deep, attributing this to the need for the juveniles to migrate to deeper areas as they mature.

Dietary studies on the species have demonstrated the dominant components of its diet are errant polychaetes, copepods from the cladoceran and calanoid orders,[10] amphipods and ophiuroid echinoderms.

[10] Significant dietary overlaps with a number of co-occurring species of sillaginids is seen in both juvenile and adult stages in different environments.

[11] As is the case with other sillaginids, their possession of protrusile jaws and a tube-like mouth are ideal for suction feeding on a wide variety of prey that occur on and in the substrate.

[12] juveniles reside in protected inshore waters such as bays and mangrove swamps until they reach sexual maturity, when they move offshore to spawn.

Due to their offshore nature in the south of Western Australia, they are rarely taken by recreational fishermen, while in the northern part of their range where they inhabit shallower waters, they are often overlooked for larger tropical species by anglers.