Body relatively deep. Head profile markedly convex; preorbital bone broader than eye diameter; mouth large, the maxilla extending to below anterior half of eye; a deep notch on lower edge of preopercle; a row of conical teeth in jaws, enlarged anteriorly and inner bands of villiform teeth on sides of upper jaw and front of lower jaw; vomerine tooth patch broadly V-shaped; gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch (including rudiments) about: 70 to 80. Dorsal fin with X spines and 13 soft rays; anal fin with III spines and 10 soft rays; posterior lobes of dorsal and anal fins distinctly pointed; pectoral fins long, reaching level of anus, with 17 or 18 rays; caudal fin emarginate;juveniles (less than about 20 cm standard length) with greatly elongate pelvic fins. Scales moderate-sized, about 50 to 56 in lateral line. Scale rows on back parallel to lateral line. Juveniles with white spots on back, a black bar through eye and a broad, thick horizontal band from eye to rear edge of opercle. A black stripe from pectoral region to lower caudal lobe. Adults have yellow eyes.
habitats
Inhabits steep slopes of lagoon, channel, or seaward reefs. Juveniles occur singly on protected reef slopes with feather stars, in staghorn corals or large sponges; adults commonly occur on deep reef slopes and may be in small groups. Occasionally, they a
Distribution
Tropical western Pacific Ocean from the Ryukyu Islands southward to
Australia and Melanesia. It is found in eastern and southern Taiwanese waters.
Fowler, H.W. 1931 
