Body and head massive, cylindrical; snout blunt; cheeks slightly swollen; anterior nostril pierced on front side of a flap; processus dentiformis present; no median notch in upper lip, lower lip with a median incision; lower jaw with a median notch; lateral line complete; anus about 1-2 eye diameters in front of anal-fin origin; 8.5 branched dorsal-fin rays; 5.5 branched anal-fin rays; caudal fin emarginate, with 9+8 branched rays; axillary pelvic lobe present; body greyish brown with poorly contrasted pattern in adults; body with about 12-15 bars between dorsal-fin origin and caudal fin, additional bars present in front of dorsal fin but indistinct, except upper extremities which do not reach dorsal midline but form two series of dark blotches parallel to dorsal midline or sometimes fused to form two stripes; bars thinner than interspaces; black bar at caudal-fin base more or less complete, with posterior projection at lower extremity, curved forward at upper extremity; dorsal-fin base with a black spot anteriorly, followed by a hyaline patch and a low elongate grey blotch; caudal fin orange in life, with a red patch occupying from a few rays to most of the upper lobe (Ref. 36949). Series of very narrow bars on side, not reaching dorsal and mid-line in individuals 3-5 cm SL; in front of dorsal fin origin, a longitudinal series of small irregular blotches on each side of dorsal mid-line (Ref. 43281).