El iʻa huelo ʻekolu he iʻa liʻiliʻi kēia, ma kahi o 20 mau kenimika, ke kino i hoʻoliʻiliʻi a me nā maka nunui. ʻEkolu mau pali pālahalaha ka operculum a laila serrated ka preopercle. Aia ma waena o nā unahi 36 a 39, o ka nui ma ka laina ʻaoʻao, i piha a hoʻopau i kahi e hoʻomaka ai ka huelo.
Koe no nā pectorals, nui nā peʻa āpau e pili ana i ke kino, ʻoiai ʻo ka fin dorsal ke kolu o ka radius spiny nui aʻe ma mua o ke koena, a elongated nā pelvic fin, keu hoʻi i nā kāne.
Loaʻa i ka huelo nā lobes i kaha nui ʻia, ʻo ka haʻahaʻa i ʻoi aku ka lōʻihi ma mua o ka luna. ʻO ke kala o nā huelo ʻekolu ma waena o ka poni a me ka ʻalani, a ʻekolu mau hui melemele divergent ma kēlā me kēia ʻaoʻao o ke poʻo, ʻo ka mea mua keʻa i ka maka o ka iʻa a ʻo nā mea ʻē aʻe ma lalo. I nā kāne, melemele nā kihi o nā pelvic fin, a ʻulaʻula lākou i ka wā o ka wela.
Ke ʻano o ola nā iʻa huelo ʻekolu i nā ʻākoʻakoʻa, ma waena o 20 a ʻoi aku ma mua o 50 m hohonu, ʻoiai hiki ke loaʻa i kekahi manawa ma 200. Hoʻohui ʻia i nā panakō o ka loli liʻiliʻi. Pili kokoke i ka ʻili kahi e noho ai nā ana a lua paha o kekahi mea. ʻOi aku ka nui o kāna hana i ka wā o ka pō ma mua o ka waena o ka lā. ʻAi ʻia ia ma nā zooplankton, nā holoholona epibenthic, a me nā iʻa liʻiliʻi.
He lāhui hermaphrodite proterogynous. Me he mea lā aia kekahi hierarchy ma waena o nā kāne, ma ka liʻiliʻi i ka wā spawning, ke ʻike ʻia nā hakakā maʻamau ma waena o lākou. Hana kope ia i ke kauwela a planktonic nā hua.