A single black teardrop on a yellow-white flank.
To about 20 cm, white below and yellow above, with a single large black teardrop-shaped blotch on the upper flank tapering downwards, a black bar through the eye and a black band across the rear of the body and tail base. The blotch is unmistakable and constant.
It feeds on coral polyps, soft coral and algae, taking a broader diet than the strictly coral-feeding butterflyfishes, and is found on reef slopes and rubble margins. Usually in pairs or small groups. It is moderately approachable and holds position while feeding on a single coral head, which is the practical moment for a photograph. Recorded from about 3 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.