Found over coral and rocky bottoms, on the mainland coast and on coastal as well as oceanic islands. May be solitary or in groups of up to 4 individuals in small caves and under ledges, often swimming upside down, oriented to the ceiling. Feeds by picking at planktonic organisms in the water column; observed occasionally cleaning other fishes, including the pomacentrid Chromis multilineata and the haemulid Haemulon plumieri (Ref. 27309).