Body depth less than head length, depth contained 2.8 to 3.2 times in standard length (for fish 22 to 34 cm standard length). Head length contained 2.7 to 3.0 times in standard length; interorbital area convex; preopercle rounded, finely serrate, with a shallow notch, the lower edge fleshy; subopercle and interopercle with a few small serrae covered by skin; maxilla reaching vertical at rear edge of eye or beyond. Gill rakers 8 on upper limb, 15 or 16 on lower limb. Dorsal fin with IX spines and 15 or 16 rays, the fin membranes distinctly indented between the spines; anal fin with III spines and 9 or 10 rays; pectoral-fin rays 18 or 19; pectoral fins longer than pelvic fins, pectoral-fin length contained 1.5 to 1.7 times in head length; pelvic fins reaching or nearly reaching anus; caudal fin rounded. Lateral-body scales ctenoid, without auxiliary scales; lateral-line scales 68 to 72; lateral-scale series 114 to 122.
Colour: Reddish orange, the head, body, and median fins covered with small blue spots; fins blackish distally, the soft dorsal, caudal, and anal fins with a narrow bluish margin; horizontal blue line just below eye. According to Séret (1981). there is a black variety that also has blue spots; it is much less common than the orange variety.

Eastern Atlantic from West Sahara to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands, Principe Island, and São Tome Island.

Sandy and rocky bottoms in depths of 20 to 200 m. It appears that nothing has been published on the biology of C. taeniops.

Said to reach 70 cm total length, but this is unusually large for a species of Cephalopholis. According to Séret (1981), it attains 40 cm total length.