Chelmon marginalis is silvery white in colour with two slender orange bars on the head and front part of the body, and a wide yellowish or yellowish-orange band close to the caudal peduncle.

[3] The juveniles have a bar towards the tail and an ocellus on the dorsal fin, these fade and eventually disappear as the fish matures.

[1] It is a carnivorous species which preys on benthic invertebrates such as crabs, shrimps and polychaetes.

[2] Chelmon marginalis is rarely exported and is thus uncommon in the aquarium trade.

[1] Chelmon marginalis was first formally described in 1842 by the Scottish naval surgeon, arctic explorer and naturalist Sir John Richardson (1787-1865) with the type locality given as Port Essington in the Northern Territory.