A species of Elacatinus with dorsal-fin elements VII, 11 (rare 12); anal-fin elements 10 (uncommon

9); pectoral-fin rays 20–21 (19–21); pelvic fins fully-joined, short cup-like disk complete; no scales; a pale head with a prominent red stripe from the tip of the snout across the eye ending abruptly above the pectoral-fin base with a short orange segment, followed by a short black segment; a dark green body with 16–23 thin light green bars along the full length of the body.

Juveniles and adults of both sexes are similarly marked. The head is pale with a single prominent red stripe running from the tip of the snout across the eye ending abruptly above the pectoral-fin base with a short brightorange segment followed immediately by a short black segment. The background body color is an olive green, sometimes dark, with 16–23 thin green bars along the full length. The narrow bars usually run vertically over the full depth of the body, but many individuals have unique variations, such as bifurcations, cross-links, or breaks in a pattern reminiscent of fingerprint ridges (bars counted if greater than 1/3 of the full depth). The fins are mostly unmarked, but can be dusky.(Ref. 84089).