Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Line and Society islands, north to southern Japan, south to Australia.

Dorsal profile of head steeply sloped. Preorbital bone broad, much wider than eye diameter. Preopercular notch and knob well developed. Scale rows on back rising obliquely, both above and below the lateral line. Generally red or gray, darker on back and upper portion of the head, with orange hue on the lower part of the opercle and in the pectoral axil. The fins are red, or frequently brown to blackish. The soft dorsal, caudal and anal fins have narrow white margins. Juveniles with a large, round, black spot at the base of the caudal fin.

Mainly inhabit coral reefs, sometimes forming large aggregations, which are mostly stationary during the day. Juveniles occur in seagrass beds, also in mixed sand and coral habitats of shallow sheltered reefs.