Perches on the top of a coral head in the open, and varies in colour more than most reef fish.
To about 22 cm, with a dark band running along the rear half of the body from behind the pectoral fin to the tail, a pale to yellow underside, and dense red-brown spots over the head. Body colour ranges from pale yellow through olive to almost black between individuals, and the dark lateral band is the constant feature.
It sits high on the tips of branching coral in full view rather than tucked into it, which is unusual among hawkfishes, and drops onto small fish and crustaceans passing beneath. It tolerates a slow approach and returns to the same perch after being displaced, so a missed photograph is generally recoverable within a minute. Recorded from about 2 to 35 m.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.