They also have two yellow-edged black bars on their head: one runs across the eyes and the other is on the snout, and the tail has two black bars. The size of the ornate butterflyfish ranges from 13–18 cm total length (mean +/- SD = 16.2 +/- 1.4 cm) and pair members are nearly always indistinguishable based on size.
The ornate butterflyfish is characterized by two yellow borders with black stripes on its head: one runs across the eyes, and another is on the snout; the tail has two black stripes as well. The fish's length typically ranges from 13–18 cm (mean +/- SD = 16.2 +/- 1.4 cm), and pair members are nearly always indistinguishable in size.