The adult queen angelfish overall body color can be described as blue to blue green with yellow rims on its scales. Their pectoral and ventral fins are also yellow but their lips and the edges of their dorsal fins and anal fins are dark blue. Queen angelfish are also known to have blue markings around each gill cover. The queen angelfish may live up to 15 years in the wild and reach up to 17 inches in length. 

The queen angelfish feeds primarily on sponges, but also feeds on tunicates, jellyfish, and corals as well as plankton and algae. Queen angelfish inhabit reefs and are common in Florida, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the gulf of Mexico and range as far south as Brazil. 

Juveniles have dark blue bodies with yellow lips, gills, and tail and vertical bars ranging in color from light blue to white. The colors of the juvenile fish help them to blend in with the reefs. Juveniles serve as "cleaners" and feed on the parasites of larger fish at cleaning stations.