The Lei Triggerfish is generally pale, but it can change to a darker color, typically a shade of brown with hints of purple on the anal, ventral, and caudal fins.

Similar to other triggerfish species, they have locked spines at the base of their caudal fin which they use as a weapon of self-defense against predators.

Lei Triggerfish have tiny barbs on their scales which repel urchin spines, making them impervious to their venom.

When these fish aren’t feeding, they patrol and hover around the reef, especially near areas that greatly vary in depth and topography in order to have easy access to a hiding spot from predators.

They also flip sea urchins upside down to access their soft bellies which are defended with significantly less spines.

The Lei Triggerfish inhabits regions of a coral reef before a surge zone as to avoid the chaos and general dissonance within the water where waves crash.