Western Pacific: Indonesia to Fiji, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to the Coral Sea.

Identified by the long filaments on the dorsal fin of the male. Body scaleless above and below lateral line on anterior half.

Found in coastal reef slopes and deep outer reef lagoons in current channels. Usually in large groups with several large males. Found hovering above sandy slopes. Usually forms a harem of one male-phase fish and about a dozen female-phase fish. Normally buried when no current is running.