Apolemichthys griffisi has a rather greyish white or ash coloured body with a wide.

The distribution is known to include Indonesia, Kiribati, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

[1] Apolemichthys griffisi is a species of the outer coral reef slopes, rocky ledges and drop-offs.

[5] Its specific name honours Nixon Griffis (1917–1993), a conservationist who was trustee of the New York Zoological Society and a patron of the New York Aquarium, and supported the Carlson and Taylor's collecting trip to Canton Island on which this species was discovered.

[6] Within the genus Apolemichthys this species seems to be more closely related to A. xanthotis and A. xanthurus of the Indian Ocean.