White fore- and mid body, yellow rear, pair of diffuse black saddles across the back, black spot on the tail base. It can be seen living solitary, in pairs or groups. It resembles Chaetodon falcula, but lacks a yellow back and has a different habitat.

Least concern on the IUCN Red list. The global population seems to be stable.

Indo-Pacific: Cocos-Keeling Islands to Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, to the Tuamoto Islands, north to Japan, and south to Eastern Australia. Occur in coral-rich areas of lagoon reefs and less commonly in seaward reefs. Juveniles are found in harbors and estuaries. This species lives in a depth range of 2-30 meters.

Oviparous breeding, they form pairs during breeding.