This species is distinguished by the following characters: cranium armed dorsally with robust preocular, supraocular, postocular, and parietal spines; concave interorbital space; lower jaw scaleless and shorter than upper jaw; base of entire spinous portion of dorsal fin densely covered with minute scales; body with 3 dark brown saddles and lacking yellow or brownish-red markings on dorsum when fresh; dark spots on soft-rayed portion of dorsal and anal fins, and caudal fin (Ref. 93737).