This fish lives in coral reefs between 1 and 20 m deep and feeds on molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms. Adult specimens have vertical black lines on the edges of the scales that stand out against the background, which is whitish in females and more greenish in males. They have a yellow spot at the base of the dorsal fin, and often also have a small circular black spot at the top of the caudal peduncle. Their head is yellowish green with irregular bands of pinkish orange. 

It is called checkerboard wrasse because the black lines on the edges of the scales resemble a chessboard.

Conservation status