The coral hawkfish was first formally described as Cirrhites oxycephalus in 1855 by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker with the type locality given as Ambon Island.

[4] The coral hawkfish has an oval, moderately compressed body with a pointed snout which has a straight profile.

[2] The dorsal fin is continuous with a notch separating the spiny and soft rayed parts of the fin, while the membranes between the spines are deeply incised and each spine has a tuft of cirri at its tip.

It is also found in the eastern tropical Pacific, from the Gulf of California south to Colombia and the Galapagos.

[1] They live in areas of dense coral growth and in the clear waters of lagoon, channel or outer reefs where they prefer to be underneath the surge zone, occurring at depths down to at least 40 m (130 ft).

[9] They are pelagic spawners and the spawning pair ascend into the water column.