Sebestes rubrivinctus was first formally described as Sebastichthys rubrivinctus in 1880 by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert with the type locality given as a reef in Santa Barbara Channel and Monterey, California.

[2] Sebastes rubrivinctus has a relatively slender rhombus-shaped body which has a depth of roughly one third of its standard length with a thin, pointed head.

The bands fade and the white background colour becomes less bright as the fish ages.

[6] The flag rockfish is a demersal fish which is found on rocky reefs down to 302 m (991 ft).

They are predatory and their diet includes fish, krill, octopus as well as a variety of other marine invertebrates.