Lutjanus monostigmahas a relatively deep body which has a standard length that is 2.6 to 3.0 times as long as the body at its deepest point. It has a gently sloped forehead, and the preopercular incision and knob are weakly developed. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a crescent shaped patch with no central rearwards extension and there are no teeth on the tongue. The dorsal fin has 10 spines and 13-14/soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and 8-9 soft rays. The rear of the dorsal fin and the anal fin are rounded or quite angular. The pectoral fins have 15-17 rays and the caudal fin is truncate or weakly emarginate. This fish attains a maximum total length of 60 cm (24 in), although 50 cm (20 in) is more typical. The overall colour is whitish to pink or grey with yellow fins and there is a black spot or blotch on the posterior of the body. As the fish matures this spot shrinks and becomes more oblong in shape. Lutjanus monostigma is widespread in the Indo-Pacific from the coast of eastern Africa where it is found from the Red Sea south to Sodwana Bay in South Africa. It is also found in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean islands, south eastern Indian and Sri Lanka and from Southeast Asia east to the Marquesas and Line Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan and south to Australia. Adults live in coral reef areas, usually close to caves and coral formations, at depths between 1 and 60 meters.
