They occur up the a depth of 100 m. They feed mainly on small planktonic animals that are picked individually from the water, made possible by their shortened snout which facilitates close-range binocular vision.

Pacific creolefish young are often bright yellow with five small dark spots on back.

The adults are greenish brown dorsally and reddish below, with five white or blue-white spots on the back.

[2] As all fish species, the Pacific creolefish harbours a number of parasites, including, off Mexico, the digeneans Prodistomum orientalis, Brachyphallus sp., Lecithochirium sp., the nematodes Anisakis sp.

and Spinitectus sp., the copepods Caligus sp., and the isopods Hatschekia sp.