Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to Miyakejima, Japan, south to Australia and New Caledonia.

Color in life coppery with iridescence, paler posteriorly; a blackish stripe, bordered by a blue line, running from front of snout through eye and beyond; a narrow blue streak on maxilla. Large and oblique mouth; median predorsal scales 5; preopercular ridge smooth with posterior and most of ventral margin serrate. Black bar encircling caudal peduncle present in both young and adult phases.

Inhabits holes in rocks or under ledges in shallow waters. Known to occur in mixed aggregates with Apogon apogonoides during summer and autumn, but form separate aggregates in winter and spring.