The soft rayed parts of the dorsal and anal fins usually have a white stripe on the inside of this.

[3] Chaetodon hoefleri occurs in the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean from Cap Blanc and Levrier Bay in Mauritania) south as far as the mouth of the Congo.

[2] Chaetodon hoefleri is a coastal species which has a preference for hard or rocky substrates.

[2] Chaetodon hoefleri was first formally described in 1881 by the Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834-1913) with its type locality given as Gorée in Senegal.

[4] The specific name honours the Steindachner's “dear friend” W. Höfler, who provided the type and who was supplied him with fish specimens from Africa.