This species is common on lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs. They are usually solitary or in pairs, possibly with one or a few juveniles. They are highly territorial, usually occupying and defending one or a small group of table or staghorn Acropora colonies. Rarely we see these in small groups of up to a dozen or so fish. The first one below is investigating a patch of its table Acropora colony that was pure white; just before this photo was taken, a rock that had been sitting on that spot was moved. The coral polyps below, deprived of sunlight, had bleached out by expelling the symbiotic zooxanthellae that give the coral its color.
Night coloration.
Below is a late juvenile color form.
And here is an early juvenile.
Created 15 October 2010
Updated 13 November 2020