The Asian sheephead wrasse is one of the largest labrid species found in the waters of the western Pacific, reaching a weight of around and a length of . The body is globiform and bulky, and males are typically larger than females. The mouth is terminal, consistent with the fact that this fish is usually present in the middle of the water column, and prefer to eat prey directly in front of them or beneath them. This fish has hard tooth-like structures present in the mouth, which are excellent for crushing crustaceans. The caudal fin is truncate. The fish is most known for the development of its bulbous forehead; however, this is prominent only in (adult) males, and juveniles lack this feature entirely. However, the juveniles do have black areas on certain fins; they are eventually lost in adults, and give way to the dominating pink-gray color of adults. So, unlike many other wrasses, the Asian sheephead wrasse is not particularly colorful. Like many other wrasses, the Asian sheephead wrasse is a
sequential hermaphroditic species. Specifically, they are protogynous, meaning that fishes of this species are always born female and only change sex when they grow older (although there is no definite age when this occurs) and reach a critical body size; the sex change does not always happen, and the reverse change is not possible. After the transition, the fish gains a bulbous forehead. ==Biology==