Apolemichthys xanthurus Has a body which has a cream background colour with a network of dark lines on the scales creating a lattice pattern over this.

[1] Apolemichthys xanthurus is typically encountered as solitary individuals or in pairs at depths of 5 to 85 metres (16 to 279 ft) on coral and rocky reefs.

[3] Apolemichthys xanthurus was first formally described in 1950 as Holacanthus xanthotis by the British naturalist Edward Turner Bennett (1797–1836) with the type locality given as Sri Lanka.

[7] Apolemichthys xanthurus is common in the aquarium trade[1] and among the marine angelfishes it is one of the hardiest and easiest to maintain in captivity.

[3] Collection from the wild is limited, only 100 were allowed to be exported from the Maldives in 2003, and is not considered a threat to the species which is categorised as Least Concern by the IUCN.