Diagnosis: Dorsal fin XII, 14, membrane attached to caudal fin, with deep notch above last spine, first spine almost same or slightly higher than second; anal fin II, 15; pectoral rays 15; pelvic fin I, 4; caudal fin procurrent rays 10-14. Vertebrae 11 + 20. Body depth at anal-fin origin 3.2-3.5 in SL. Body depth at anal-fin origin 3.2-3.7 in SL. LL, without scales and scalelike flaps; LL tubes 1-13 (usually 3-12), canal ends below 5th dorsal ray to caudal-fin base. Lower lip smooth mesially, plicate laterally. Upper lip crenulae 29-50. Gill rakers 20-32. Cephalic sensory pore system simple; 1 pore behind each nuchal flap. Cirri, nuchal 29-44, nasal 6-49, supraorbital 6-49; nuchal cirri in 4 groups, ventralmost group on each side borne on slightly expanded nuchal flap. Meristic and morphological characters consistent; color pattern geographically variable. Males: Chagos, body bars alternating light and dark brown, dorsal spine tips and anterior caudal fin rays yellow; Red Sea, head and anterior body bars narrow red on brown background; GBR, head and body bars alternating pink and brown; Fiji, body bars brown on grey or yellow background; Comoros, bars reddish brown, slightly oblique. Females: mostly with reticulated pattern of wavy brown lines and pale polygonal spots; others plain brown, particularly those from South Africa and Kenya Head with spots and lines; iris with irregular red ring around outer part of eye, narrow yellow ring around pupil, with black between the ring (Ref. 529, 90102).