Yellow with fine blue wavy lines and a black mask; always in pairs.
To about 38 cm, yellow with fine wavy blue horizontal lines over the upper body and a black band running from the snout through the eye to the nape. The lines break into spots towards the rear in some individuals. Like all rabbitfishes it drops to a mottled brown when resting or alarmed.
It feeds on sponges and tunicates as well as algae, which is unusual in the family, and works over coral and rubble in pairs. The dorsal, anal and pelvic spines are venomous. It is not shy but keeps moving as a pair, so both fish in one frame takes some waiting. Recorded from about 2 to 30 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.
