Centropyge potteri' has a bright orange body marked with thin vertical stripes which are blue to black in colour.

When they are ready to mate the red colouration becomes more intense and the par make audible grunts and clicks.

When the female adopts the position that indicates she is ready to mate, the male briefly nuzzles her vent until she releases the eggs.

[3] Centropyge potteri was first formally described in 1912 by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) and Charles William Metz (1889-1975) with the type locality given as Honolulu on Oahu.

[6] The specific name honours Frederick A. Potter the first director of the Waikiki Aquarium who held the post from 1904 to 1940.