As the fish grows this breaks up starting with the lips which turn bluish white and their caudal fins begin to darken to become black.

This species, like all marine angelfish, is a sequential protogynous hermaphrodite and the younger sexually mature adults are all females.

The diet of this species comprises green algae in the genus Codium as well as planktonic organisms and the eggs of fishes.

[4] Genicanthus personatus was first formally described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall (1924–2020) with the type locality given as Honolulu on Oahu.

[6] Genicanthus personatus is very rare in the aquarium traded down commands high prices.