Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, Zanzibar (Tanzania), Aldabra and Seychelles to the Marshall Islands and American Samoa, north to Taiwan, southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands, south to the southern Great Barrier Reef and the Chesterfield Islands. Replaced by Sargocentron marisrubri in the Red Sea.

Body with red and white stripes following the scale rows; black blotch at base of soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, but may be faint or absent in caudal and anal fins. Uniformly small ctenii on posterior margin of scales of body. Inferior mouth due to hypertrophy of median part of upper lip (front of upper lip thickened and slightly protruding).

A relatively uncommon inhabitant of rocky reefs and coral-rich areas. Spine of preopercle venomous. Usually seen solitary , but sometimes forms schools in deep water in oceanic locations.