The specific name ornata, means 'beautiful' or 'adorned'; Gray described this fish as a "distinct and beautiful" species.

[5] Aracana ornata has a body which is armoured in a stiff carapace which is made up of large sculptured bony plates and they have bony ridges which bear large recurved spines.

Females are dark brown striped with white or yellowish-white, some of these are wavy and these can form circles on the back.

[6] The ornate cowfish has a maximum published total length of 15 cm (5.9 in).

This species is found at depths down to 15 m (49 ft) in seagrass beds in shltered bays, harbours and other sheltered coastal waters.