Western Pacific: Christmas Island and the northwest shelf of Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean to as far east as Samoa, Tonga.

This fish is deeper-bodied than C. atripes and lacks the dark spot on the pectoral-fin base found in C. agilis (it has a yellow bar instead). The tips of the caudal fin-lobes ending two filaments. The upper and lower edge of the caudal fin is dark brown. Juveniles have more blue around the eyes and the margins of the dorsal and anal fins, as well as elongate outermost caudal rays.

Inhabits coral-rich areas of clear lagoon and seaward reefs. Abundant on steep outer reef slopes below 24 m, uncommon in lagoons. Juveniles in large branching corals, adults mainly in caves