Red Stumpnose

Chrysoblephus gibbiceps has a deep and compressed body, its standard length is between 2 and 2.4 times its depth. The dorsal fin is supported by 11 or 12 spines and 10 or 11 soft rays while the anal fin contains 3 spines and between 7 and 9 soft rays. The dorsal profile of the head is very steep between the snout and the nostrils. As they grow, a bulge develops in the area between the eyes and in large adults there is a large hump on the nape, creating a protruding forehead. It has a reddish orange body with golden flecks, slightly lighter in colour ventrally, with between 5 and 7 indistinct vertical red bars and a lot of irregularly shaped dark spots on the upper body. The red stumpnose seabream has a maximum published total length of 75 cm (30 in), although 50 cm (20 in) is more typical.

Chrysoblephus gibbiceps is found in the extreme south eastern Atlantic and the southwestern Indian Ocean off the southern coasts of South Africa between False Bay and East London, with records as far north as Margate, South Africa, although these may be misidentifications of similar species such as C. anglicus. This species occurs in coastal waters at depths between 10 and 100 m (33 and 328 ft). The adults are found on offshore reefs while the juveniles shoal over rocky reefs in shallow water.

Chrysoblephus gibbiceps has the specific name gibbiceps, which is a combination of gibbus, meaning "hump", with ceps. which means "head". This is a reference to the bulbous forehead in adult males of this species.