Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and Persian Gulf to the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Indonesia, New Guinea, and northern Australia.

Found mainly along continental margins rather than truly oceanic areas. Inhabits flat sandy or rubble bottoms around patch reefs of lagoons and trawling grounds.

A somewhat unusual damselfish in behavior. Adults often seen in small groups out in the open on sandy substrate, swimming well-above the bottom and unlike other damselfishes rely on speed to get away from predators rather than diving into the shelter or reefs or burrow. Juveniles often shallow estuaries, but adults mainly in deeper water offshore at depths of 20+ m and have been reported to 80 m depth.