These cleaner fish inhabit coral reefs, setting up a territory referred to as a cleaning station.

[4] This fish is strikingly coloured; the anterior part is golden, with a dark lateral stripe running from the eye to the tail, becoming wider at the back.

[1] The behaviour of this fish is very similar to that of the closely related bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), widely found in the rest of Indo-Pacific region.

The arrangement is mutually beneficial, with the client fish having its parasites removed and the wrasse gaining protection and finding an easy meal.

If happy with what it sees, the client adopts a certain species-specific pose which invites the cleaner fish to set to work on it.