The copperband butterflyfish is visually very similar to the South African butterflyfish. It can easily be distinguished by the prominent black eyespot on the upper-back part of its body, and has one additional vertical copper stripe in comparison to the South African butterflyfish.
The fish is territorial and will pair up and protect its feeding area from other pairs of butterflyfish. It is common and lives on reefs throughout the Indian Ocean.
Its elongated snout is used to feed on benthic invertebrates that take refuge in cracks and holes in the reef.
The IUCN have classified this species as Least Concern.