Orange and white bars with a blue-black dorsal; shy, and rarely still.
To about 25 cm, with seven to ten white to pale blue bars edged in black running down an orange body, a yellow tail and a dark blue-black dorsal fin flecked with pale spots. The pattern is consistent enough that it is not confused with anything else in the region; the only real variation is regional, with western Indian Ocean fish carrying a greyer chest than the Pacific ones seen here.
It feeds on sponges and tunicates in overhangs and under coral, which is where it spends most of the dive. It is one of the shyer angelfish, and generally keeps a coral head between itself and a diver, reappearing on the far side. Photographs usually come from waiting at a distance rather than approaching. Recorded from a few metres to about 48 m, deeper on outer walls than on sheltered slopes.
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.