Diagnosis: width (as percentage of length) of occipital process) 67-93% (average 79%); depth (as percentage of width) of premaxillary tooth plate 29-43% (average 35%); vomerine dentition generally present as isolated teeth, exceptionally forming small tooth plates, palatine teeth mostly absent, but sometimes present (in mature males)(Ref. 81642).

Description: snout pointed; mouth rather small, with a premaxillary toothband width 12.5-20% (generally 16.6%) HL; occipital process broad (base length 6-8 times in HL); vomerine dentition present as small toothbands (in 47% of specimens), as a few isolated teeth (in 35% of specimens) or absent (in 18% of specimens); few individuals have 1-2 palatine teeth, but great majority lack a palatine dentition; dorsal fin of medium height (29-37% SL); anal fin with 4-5 soft unbranched rays and 7-9 branched rays; (only three) males (160-186 mm SL) with enlarged testes and a single gravid female (172 mm SL) are known; mature males do not exhibit inflated heads and widened mouths of Chrysichthys and Melanodactylus species, however their vomerine dentition is more pronounced and present as a small tooth plate, and all have teeth on palatine (Ref. 81642).

Coloration: preserved specimens with head and dorsum dark brown, creamy white ventrally (Ref. 81642).