This species is distinguished by the following characters: precaudal vertebrae 16-17; first gill arch with long gill rakers 18-21, broad, bladed; HL:HD 1.71-1.79; most head spines are strong: on ethmoidal, prefrontal, interorbital, supraorbital, sphenotic, supratemporal, inner and outer posttemporal, inner preopercular rim, lacrimal with ridge, and weak on outer preopercular rim, absent on 5th infraorbital; opercular spine is sharp, extruding; maxilla with single row of scales along upper margin in front of supramaxilla; the large opercular flap with ridges; lower lateral line pores until beginning of anal fin 16; narrow dentition patch on vomer with few or 1-2 (rarely 3) rows of teeth; palatines with moderately broad dentition patch (3-6 rows of teeth); otolith with single colliculum but indentation at ventral margin and rarely separate colliculi; OL:OH = 1.45-1.64; OL:TCL = 1.87-2.52 (Ref. 125143).