Description: Body oval to pyriform and shallow; caudal peduncle long and shallow (Ref. 128938). Head short and average in width with a straight to gently convex dorsal outline; snout short, rather acute in lateral view with an inclination of 35-43°, and rather acute in dorsal view; interorbital area broad and oral jaws very narrow, which gave head an obovoid, inverted egg-shaped, to triangular outline in anterior view; eye large; lacrimal average in depth; cheek very shallow; lower jaw average in length; upper jaw short, especially in comparison to lower jaw, upper jaw length 64.2-73.2% of lower jaw length; both jaws very narrow, slim, and with a moderate gape inclination of 25-35°; maxilla extends to between vertical through anterior margin of orbit and just anterior to this point; lips thin (Ref. 128938). Outer oral teeth average in number, small, and weakly embedded in oral mucosa; necks slender, laterally compressed, and weakly recurved; crowns straight, bicuspid with often some tricuspid teeth in most specimens; in large males of more than 70mm standard length , anteriorly with some unicuspid teeth; major cusp equilateral, mostly acutely pointed, and with a small to no flange, rarely a large flange; minor cusps small to large and rounded; dental arcades rounded; outer teeth closely and regularly set with neck-distances of less than 1/2 neck width; posterior 1/4-1/5 of premaxillary dentigerous arm sometimes edentulous, often set with very small teeth; posteriormost premaxillary outer teeth very small and uni- or tricuspid; inner teeth small, recurved, tricuspid, and bluntly pointed; tooth bands very slender crescent-shaped with 1-2 rows of inner teeth, narrowing posteriorly until only outer row remains past 2/3 length of tooth band; inner rows very closely and regularly set on 1 neck-width from outer row in both jaws, implantation erect; size uniform throughout tooth band (Ref. 128938). Lower pharyngeal bone short, narrow, very slim, and very shallow over entire length; pharyngeal teeth small, very slender, and recurved; major cusps acutely pointed; minor cusp gap concave; minor cusp and cusp protuberance small; teeth in two median longitudinal rows almost equal in size and form to lateral teeth, 9-10 in each row; posterior transverse row with 29-30 teeth, implanted erectly; major cusp bluntly pointed, and laterally compressed; minor cusp gap concave; minor cusp small (Ref. 128938). Chest scales generalised; transition to flank scales gradual; minute scales on proximal half of caudal fin; longitudinal line scales 31-35, upper lateral line scales 20-23, lower lateral line scales 9-14; upper transverse line scales 5-6, lower transverse line scales 9-10; caudal peduncle scales 16-18; pelvic-pectoral scales 4-6 (Ref. 128938). Caudal fin emarginate to truncate; dorsal and anal fins reach to vertical through 1-4 scales anterior to caudal-fin base; pectoral fin reaches to between anal opening and first anal fin spine; pelvic fin reaches to between genital opening and first anal fin spine, in dominant males to third anal fin spine; first branched pelvic-fin ray slightly elongated in juveniles and females and elongated in dominant males (Ref. 128938). Ceratobranchial gill rakers in outer row of first gill arch relatively long, slender, and simple; anteriormost 1-3 rakers often reduced; posteriormost rakers simple to bifid; epibranchial gill rakers slender and simple (Ref. 128938).

Colouration: Live colouration of dominant males: dorsal halves of body and head, snout, and lips dark green; ventral halves of body and operculum, and cheek dark grey; transitions mostly gradual; chest and branchiostegal rays black; flank, cheek, and lower jaw with a blue sheen; flank with a faint mid-lateral band; nostril, lacrimal, supraorbital, and vertical preopercular stripes and nape band faint; eye brownish with a golden inner ring; pectoral fin hyaline; pelvic fin black; dorsal and caudal fins dusky to blackish, dorsal fin with black lappets, caudal fin with a crimson posteroventral part; anal fin dusky to blackish and with black base, crimson spines and distal part, and 1-2 very large, three times distance between two fin rays, yellow egg spots with dusky borders; subdominant males are same as dominant males except for uniformly dusky caudal and anal fins and flanks without longitudinal band but sometimes with 6-8 faint vertical stripes (Ref. 128938). Live colouration of females and juveniles: dorsum, flank, dorsal part of head, snout, and lips yellowish to dark green; belly, chest, ventral half of operculum, and cheek whitish; transitions mostly gradual; nostril, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes very faint; 6-8 very faint vertical stripes sometimes present; eye brownish with a golden inner ring; pectoral fin hyaline to dusky; pelvic fun hyaline; dorsal and caudal fins dusky to blackish, dorsal fin with black lappets; anal fin blackish to yellow and with 1-2 spots resembling egg spots; soon after death, dorsum, flank, and dorsal part of head light yellowish and flank often with a faint mid-lateral band (Ref. 128938). Preserved colouration: in dominant males, body and head uniformly dark brown, preopercular stripe and lacrimal stripe well-defined, pelvic fin black, anal fin dusky to blackish and with 1-2 very large egg spots; in juveniles and females, dorsum and dorsal part of head brown; flank and dorsal part of operculum light brown; ventral parts of body and operculum, cheek, and lower jaw white to yellow, transitions mostly gradual, vertical preopercular stripe faint and lacrimal stripe present, pelvic fin hyaline, anal fin dusky to blackish; in all specimens, flank often with a mid-lateral band from opercular blotch to caudal-fin base and rarely 4-5 very faint vertical stripes, lacrimal, snout and lips dusky, nostril and interorbital stripes faint, dorsal fin dusky and with black lappets, caudal fin uniformly dusky (Ref. 128938).