Its body shape is uniquely disc-shaped and extremely laterally compressed. It has a distinctive black, white and yellow vertical stripe and a flowing, long, filamentous dorsal fin. The adult fish's body color is a mixture of yellow, black and white. The s"&"nout is yellow with a black edge, and there is a dark stripe running diagonally around the eye. The rear end of the dorsal fin is elongated into a flowing filament.