Blue ringed angelfish have adults which are mainly yellow with the body marked with obvious arcing blue lines and a blue circle shaped mark above the operculum. They frequently have an elongated tip to the dorsal fin and they have a white caudal fin with a yellow margin. They also have a pair of blue stripes across the face, one runs through the eye and the second is situated immediately beneath the eye. The juveniles have a bluish-black overall color with thin white to blue colored curved lines on their body.The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 20-21 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 20 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 45 cm (18 in)
