Adults silver-grey with a reflective purple tinge, a high, arched dorsal profile, spiny first dorsal fin, high and banner-like. Juveniles similar body shape but pale with black stripes along body, with narrow stripes in between, yellow tinge on head, and fins, spiny first dorsal fin tall with a dark bar in centre. Adults secretive and nocturnal, often forming large inactive aggregations in caves. Juveniles school in the summer.

• Max Size: 25 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 22.8-29.8°C
• Depth: 3-35m
• Habitat: Coral Reef, Rocky Reef

• IUCN Threat Status: Least Concern
• Occurrence: Frequent (11% 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: Few (2 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.