Etelis carbunculus is an elongated fish with a small head, large eyes, and a flat interorbital space. The mouth extends backward to the level of the middle of the eye, and each jaw is equipped with a single row of conical teeth, featuring one or two pairs of enlarged canine teeth at the front. The species is generally reddish to pink in color, with a whitish belly. There is a red margin on the dorsal and caudal fins, with the lower lobe of the caudal fin featuring a white tip. This species is widely distributed across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is found from the Red Sea and the coast of East Africa—extending south to Mozambique—to the Persian Gulf. In the Pacific Ocean, its range extends from Japan and southern Australia to the waters off Hawaii. It is also found at the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, off the coast of New Zealand.