The juvenile stage of this fish is very colorful. However, once in the adult stage the red and purple colors fade and it becomes dark brown, almost black, with the sides of the body and head marked by many fine, horizontal, yellowish-gray lines. Because the adult stage of the Chevron Tang is similar in appearance to that of a Kole (Yellow-Eye Surgeonfish), it is referred to as the Hawaiian Black Kole. The differences are that it does not have the yellow ring around the eye, the body is darker in color, and its pectoral fins turn a dark brown color, where the Kole's pectoral fins are almost transparent.
For more information, see the Chevron Tang Profile.