Pseudanthias bartlettorum has a somewhat elongated, moderately compressed body which is around 3 times as long (in standard length as it is deep.

It has a moderately large, obliquely angled mouth in which the maxilla extends to the rear edge of the eye.

[2] Pseudanthias bartlettorum is found in large schools consisting of a few males and several dozen females and juveniles.

They feed on zooplankton and occur in areas with strong currents such as reef faces, slopes, drop off zones and channels down to depths of 30 metres (98 ft).

[4] When the genus Anthias was determined to be largely restricted to the Atlantic and Mediterranean the subgenus Mirolabrichtys was renamed Pseudanthias as this name, coined by Pieter Bleeker in 1871 had priority.