The ornate wrasse shows sexual dichromatism.
the females are greenish-brown with a dark bar on each scale and five bluish vertical stripes.
Males have red heads with blue markings.
Situated immediately to the rear of the pectoral fin they have a vertical blue stripe with red margins.
The caudal fin in both sexes is turquoise.
The juveniles are green overall and have a black spot halfway along the back, positioned immediately below the dorsal fin.
The body is elongated and laterally compressed with a sharp, oval head.
The snout is short with a small, terminal mouth and thick lips.
In younger fish the  caudal fin and as the fish matures it becomes concave with elongated outer rays forming filaments.
It can reach 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, though most do not exceed 20 cm (7.9 in).
 The dorsal fin has eight spines and 12-13 soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and 10-12 soft rays.
The ornate wrasse shows sexual dichromatism. the females are greenish-brown with a dark bar on each scale and five bluish vertical stripes. Males have red heads with blue markings. Situated immediately to the rear of the pectoral fin they have a vertical blue stripe with red margins. The caudal fin in both sexes is turquoise. The juveniles are green overall and have a black spot halfway along the back, positioned immediately below the dorsal fin. The body is elongated and laterally compressed with a sharp, oval head. The snout is short with a small, terminal mouth and thick lips. In younger fish the  caudal fin and as the fish matures it becomes concave with elongated outer rays forming filaments. It can reach 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, though most do not exceed 20 cm (7.9 in).  The dorsal fin has eight spines and 12-13 soft rays while the anal fin has three spines and 10-12 soft rays.
Ornate wrasse