Similar in shape to the luderick, but has an overall bluish black colour with no obvious markings. It is not seen often, probably partly because it remains hidden for most of the day in caves in shallow habitats with wave surge. The related western rock blackfish Girella tephraeops, a species found from Carnarvon to Esperance, has much fewer scales along the lateral line (80–86 cf. 50–58), and a mottled appearance.

• Max Size: 62 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 12.6-24.9°C
• Depth: 0-25 m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef
• Habitat Generalisation Index: 1.4
  Also referred to as the SGI (Species generalisation index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Frequent (14% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Several (5 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.