This species inhabits coastal reefs and lagoons, often over silty bottoms, or near/in caves and holes in the reef (Heemstra and Randall 1993). It also commonly occurs on reefs without high coral cover. Small juveniles (< 6.0 cm total length) mimic Centropyge flavicauda, C. multispinis, and C. flavipectoralis (Snyder et al. 2001). It primarily feeds on small fishes (including Pempheris spp.), also on stomatopods (Pseudosquilla spp.) and crustaceans (Morgans 1982). This species spawns throughout the year and matures at about 35 cm standard length (Morgans 1982). It is not known to form spawning aggregations (Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations database accessed January 2017). In Australia, an experimental line fishing trials examined 52 individuals of this species that measured between 25 to 47 cm total length and reported the ages as ranging from 13 to 18 years (Mapleston et al. 2009).