The trumpeter whiting is endemic to Australia, inhabiting the eastern seaboard from southern New South Wales to northern Queensland.

The species is found in bays, estuaries, coastal lakes and mangrove creeks on silty and muddy substrates in waters ranging from 0 to 30 m deep, occasionally inhabiting sandy and seagrass beds.

The trumpeter whiting is a benthic carnivore, consuming a variety of crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs, with a dietary shift occurring as they mature and move into deeper waters.

[3] The species was first described by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1824 from specimens collected from the waters of Sydney Harbour in New South Wales, Australia.

The species was subsequently redescribed under the name of Sillago gracilis by Alleyne and Macleay in 1877, which is a junior synonym and has been discarded under the ICZN rules.

However, soon after publishing, more specimens came to light which validated giving the three subspecies full species status, and the trumpeter whiting once again returned to the binomial Sillago maculata.

The names 'winter' and 'diver' whiting are in reference to the high catches made in winter by amateur fishermen and the depth at which larger individuals of the species inhabit respectively.

The trumpeter whiting is usually easy to distinguish by its characteristic dark brown irregular blotches present on the side of the fish, as well as a golden silver longitudinal band.

[2] The trumpeter whiting is endemic to Australia, inhabiting the eastern seaboard from Narooma in New South Wales up to Lizard Island in Queensland.

[9] Trumpeter whiting reach sexual maturity at a length of 19 cm in both sexes, having an extended period of reproductive development from October to April.

[17] Simple running sinker rigs using a size 6 - 2 hook, on 2 – 3 kg lines are commonly used, occasionally with red tubing employed as an attractant.