Description: Body fusiform; dorsal profile gently convex, ventral profile nearly straight; snout much shorter than postorbital part of head; eye dorsolateral, relatively small; mouth terminal or subinferior; in mature males mouth usually subinferior, with upper lip slightly overhanging lower one, beak-like, and snout gently sloping toward bluntly pointed tip; in mature females mouth usually terminal, with snout tip deep and truncate, more or less rapidly slanted anteriad from nostrils, rarely mouth subinferior and snout more or less pointed in females, or mouth almost terminal in males; juveniles variable in mouth shape (Ref. 126210). Lips not retracted, jaws without cartilaginous cutting edge; sympyseal parts of upper and lower jwas slightly thickened; two pairs of well-developed barbels, first pair reaching level of ending of anterior third or middle of orbit, second pair reaching level of posterior margin of orbit or slightly behind; isthmic region between mandibular rami finely transversely plicate; sven or eight developed rakers on first gill-arch, weakly papillate tissue developed at the base of first ceratobranchial (Ref. 126210). Supraorbital sensory canal confluent with infraorbital canal, possessing short posterior branch, ending by pore on boundary between frontal and parietal bones; preopercular-mandibular canal well-developed, not confluent with infraorbital canal; occipital canal uninterrupted; number of pores in cephalic sensory canals: supraorbital 8, infraorbital 13-15, mandibular 4-5, preopercular 8-10, occipital 3-4 (Ref. 126210). Distal margins of dorsal and anal fins moderately convex to almost straight; dorsal fin with 3-4 unbranched and 7 branched rays, anal fin with 3 unbranched and 5 branched rays; last unbranched dorsal-fin ray soft, smooth and flexible; pectoral fin variable in length, from 2/3 of length of pectoral-pelvic distance to reaching pelvic-fin origin; pelvic fin inserted almost at level of dorsal-fin origin to slightly behind it, variable in length, ending far before anus or reaching it; variability in pectoral- and pelvic-fin lengths showing no sexual dimorphism; anus close to anal-fin origin; caudal fin forked, both lobes rounded, of equal length; principal caudal-fin rays 10+9, procurrent rays 8-9+7-8 (Ref. 126210). Intestine with two long loops (Ref. 126210). Scales moderately small, 34-37 in lateral series; lateral line incomplete, extending from level of pelvic-fin origin to level of the mid-length of the anal fin, with 6-28 perforated scales; scales on breast, around pectoral-fin base and on belly small, embedded in skin and non-imbricate, sometimes fully absent in prepelvic area; throat and restricted area around anal opening scaleless; scales in predorsal region, and below dorsal and anal-fin bases embedded in skin though imbricate; scales radially striated, with radii numerous, present in all scale fields; no pelvic axillary scales (Ref. 126210). Males with dorsal surface of head bearing tiny, weak, sparsely and rather regularly distributed tubercles; scales on dorsal surface of body anterior to and behind the dorsal-fin base with minute tubercles; few tubercles per scale; pectoral fin of males with unbranched and upper ten branched rays bearing rather coarse millet-shaped tubercles arranged in regular rows along entire extension of ray, in three rows on each ray; minute, weak and scarce tubercles arranged in rows on dorsal- and anal-fin rays; smallest male with fully developed tubercles 53 mm stanadr length; sexually active females devoid of tubercles on any part of body; seasonality in development of the nuptial structures unclear (Ref. 126210).

Colouration: Colouration in life: greenish-silvery; flanks with indistinct greyish longitudinal band and narrow iridescent golden-green stripe, at level of 4th-5th longitudinal row of scales, and often with sparse irregular dark freckles, more conspicuous in posterior half of body; bases of flank scales darker; restricted areas at bases of pectoral, pelvic and anal fins often with light-salmon-pink tint; fin membranes transparent, sometimes with yellowish or greyish tint; fin rays greyish-brown, much darker on dorsal and caudal fins, sometimes uncoloured on pelvic and anal fins; no sexual dimorphism in colouration was documented (Ref. 126210). Colouration of preserved specimens: yellowish to greyish-brown dorsally, becoming pale yellowish ventrally, with a faint dark-greyish midlateral stripe; midlateral row of few small dark spots observed in juveniles up to 55 mm standard length, disappearing in larger specimens; peritoneum brown (Ref. 126210).