Pot arribar a fer 45 cm de llargària màxima (normalment, en fa 35).
10 espines i 9-10 radis tous a l'aleta dorsal i 3 espines i 9-10 radis tous a l'anal.
Ulls relativament grossos.
Aleta caudal moderadament bifurcada i amb les puntes romes.
Él seu color varia des del blanc platejat fins al grisenc.
Les escates del dors i dels costats tenen una petita taca basal marronosa.
Presenta taques negres (disperses principalment a la meitat anterior del cos) i, de vegades, una franja a penes visible des de la part inferior dels ulls fins a la vora inferior de la galta.
Les aletes són de clares a vermelloses. L'aleta caudal és, de vegades, de color marró vermellós fosc.
Pot mostrar taques tènues a les aletes dorsal, caudal i anal.[3][4]
↑Carpenter, K.E. i G.R. Allen, 1989. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 9. Emperor fishes and large-eye breams of the world (family Lethrinidae). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lethrinid species known to date. FAO Species Synop. Núm. 125(9):118 p.
↑Hardy, J.D. Jr., 2003. Coral reef fish species. NOAA\National Oceanographic Data Center. NODC Coral Reef Data and Information Management System. Estats Units. 537 p.
↑Randall, J.E., H. Ida, K. Kato, R.L. Pyle i J.L. Earle, 1997. Annotated checklist of inshore fishes of the Ogasawara Islands. Nat. Sci. Mus. Monogr. (11):1-74.
↑Masuda, H.; Amaoka, K.; Araga, C.; Uyeno, T.; Yoshino, T. 日本産魚類大図鑑 (Enciclopèdia japonesa del peix) (en japonès). 1. 東海大学出版会 (Tokai University Press), 1984. ISBN 9784486050544.
↑Francis, M.P., 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pac. Sci. 47(2):136-170.
↑Francis, M.P., 1991. Additions to the fish faunas of Lord Howe, Norfolk and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pac. Sci. 45(2):204-220.
↑Hoese, D.F., D.J. Bray, J.R. Paxton i G.R. Allen, 2006. Fishes. A Beasley, O.L. i A. Wells (eds.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volum 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia Part 1, pp. xxiv 1-670; Part 2, pp. xxi 671-1472; Part 3, pp. xxi 1473-2178.
↑Kulbicki, M., J.E. Randall i J. Rivaton, 1994. Checklist of the fishes of the Chesterfield Islands (Coral Sea). Micronesica 27(1/2): 1-43.
↑Randall, J.E., J.T. Williams, D.G. Smith, M. Kulbicki, G.M. Tham, P. Labrosse, M. Kronen, E. Clua i B.S. Mann, 2003. Checklist of the shore and epipelagic fishes of Tonga. Atoll Res. Bull. Núms. 497-508.
↑Letourneur, Y., M. Kulbicki i P. Labrosse, 1998. Length-weight relationships of fish from coral reefs and lagoons of New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean: an update. Naga ICLARM Q. 21(4): 39-46.
↑Kulbicki, M., Y.-M. Bozec, P. Labrosse, Y. Letourneur, G. Mou-Tham i L. Wantiez, 2005. Diet composition of carnivorous fishes from coral reef lagoons of New Caledonia. Aquat. Living Resour. 18:231-250.
↑Kulbicki, M., N. Guillemot i M. Amand, 2005. A general approach to length-weight relationships for New Caledonian lagoon fishes. Cybium 29(3):235-252.
↑Kulbicki, M., G. Mou Tham, P. Thollot i L. Wantiez, 1993. Length-weight relationships of fish from the lagoon of New Caledonia. Naga ICLARM Q. 16(2-3): 26-29.
↑Kulbicki, M. i J.T. Williams, 1997. Checklist of the shorefishes of Ouvea Atoll, New Caledonia. Atoll Res. Bull. 444: 26 p.
↑Brouard, F. i R. Grandperrin, 1984. Les poissons profonds de la pente récifale externe à Vanuatu. Notes Doc. Océanogr. Mission ORSTOM, Port-Villa 11. 131 p.
↑Chen, C.-H., 2004. Checklist of the fishes of Penghu. FRI Special Publication. Núm. 4. 175 p.
↑Chen, J.-P., R.-Q. Jan i K.-T. Shao, 1997. Checklist of reef fishes from Taiping Island (Itu Aba Island), Spratly Islands, South China Sea. Pac. Sci. 51(2):143-166.
↑Herre, A.W.C.T. i A.F. Umali, 1948. English and local common names of Philippine fishes. U. S. Dept. of Interior and Fish and Wildl. Serv. Circular Núm. 14, U. S. Gov't Printing Office, Washington. 128 p.
↑Kailola, P.J., 1991. The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. III. Gobiidae to Molidae. Research Bulletin Núm. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua Nova Guinea. 153 p.
↑Lieske, E. i R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
↑Myers, R.F., 1999. Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
↑Nguyen, N.T. i V.Q. Nguyen, 2006. Biodiversity and living resources of the coral reef fishes in Vietnam marine waters. Science and Technology Publishing House, Hanoi.
↑Ni, I.-H. i K.-Y. Kwok, 1999 Marine fish fauna in Hong Kong waters. Zool. Stud. 38(2):130-152.
↑Randall, J.E. i K.K.P. Lim (eds.), 2000. A checklist of the fishes of the South China Sea. Raffles Bull. Zool. Suppl. (8):569-667.
↑Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen i R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
↑Thaman, R.R., T. Fong i A. Balawa, 2008. Ilava Ni Navakavu: Finfishes of Vanua Navakavu, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands. SPRH-FIO Biodiversity and Ethnobiodiversity Report No. 4, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.
↑Wantiez, L., 1993. Les poissons des fonds meubles du lagon Nord et de la Baie de Saint-Vincent de Nouvelle-Calédonie: Description des peuplements, structure et fonctionnement des communautés. Tesi doctoral, Université d' Aix-Marseille II, França.
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Wu, H.L., K.-T. Shao i C.F. Lai (eds.), 1999. Latin-Chinese dictionary of fishes names. The Sueichan Press, Taiwan.