This species is distinguished by the following characters: gill rakers on upper limb of 1st gill arch, 14-16 (modally 16), on lower limb 20-23 (22), total 35-38 (38); gill rakers on upper limb of 2nd gill arch 10-11 (11), on lower limb 19-20 (20), total 30-31 (31); gill rakers on upper limb of 3rd gill arch 8-9 (9), on lower limb 11-12 (12), total 20-21 (21); gill rakers on upper limb of 4th gill arch 6-7 (7), on lower limb 9-10 (9), total 15-17 (17); prepelvic scutes 5-7 (6); total vertebrae 39; long maxilla, its posterior tip just reaching or slightly short of posterior margin of opercle; presence of predorsal scute; pelvic scute no spine; body scales deciduous; posterior border of pre-opercle concave, indented; paired dark patch on parietal area with little following pigmentation; distinct double pigment lines along dorsum posterior to dorsal fin; no black spots below the eye and on lower jaw tip; anal-fin base long, 19.8-22.3% (mean 20.7%) of SL; maximum orbit diameter 8.1-8.7% (8.3%) of SL; third dorsal-fin ray is short, 17.0-18.5% (18.0%) of SL; pelvic fin is rather long, 9.6-11.3% (10.0%) of SL, its posterior tip not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin when depressed in specimens greater than 4.0 cm SL; distance between posterior ends of supramaxilla and maxilla 5.7-6.4% (6.1%) of SL (Ref. 130210)..