Body depth contained 2.5 to 2.8 times in standard length (for fish 9 to 19 cm standard length). Head length contained 2.3 to 2.5 times in standard length; interorbital area flat or slightly concave; preopercle rounded, finely serrate, the lower edge fleshy; subopercle and interopercle smooth or finely serrate; upper edge of operculum very convex; maxilla naked, extending past eye. Gill rakers 7 to 9 on upper limb, 14 to 17 on lower limb. Dorsal fin with IX spines and 14 to 16 rays; anal fin with III spines and 8 rays: pectoral-fin rays 14 to 16; pectoral fins usually reaching past vertical at anus, their length contained 1.4 to 1.6 times in head length; pelvic-fin length contained 1.9 to 2.1 times in head length; caudal fin well rounded. Body scales ctenoid, without auxiliary scales; lateral-line scales 45 to 51; lateral-scale series 84 to 98.
Colour: Dark brown, the proximal part of each scale darker than the posterior part; some fish with indistinct dark bars on body; head (including jaws) and anterior part of body with numerous small dark-edged blue ocelli; some fish also have blue ocelli on the fins; soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins usually with a greyish blue margin (narrow or absent at tips of central caudal rays).

Tropical eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific: Andaman Sea, Gulf of Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Solomon Islands, and New Caledonia.

C. microprion is a shallow-water species usually found on silty reefs.

Maximum total length about 24 cm.

Following Boulenger’s (1895) influential work C. microprion was usually considered a synonym of C. pachycentron (C. boenak). Randall (1987) recognized C. microprion as a valid species, and distinguished it from C. boenak.