Freely movable teeth around 300 in upper jaw and 250 in lower jaw; crenulate lip margins; absence of fleshy disc behind lower lip; short and unbranched supraorbital cirrus; absence of nuchal cirri; males with fleshy occipital crest; body depth at origin of anal fin ca 7-8 SL; deep notch between spinous and soft ray portions of dorsal fin, the last ray joined by membrane to caudal peduncle; last anal ray and peduncle not bound by membrane; male coloration gray-brown, ventrally blending to white, with white vertical rows of white striations reaching dorsal fin parallel with spines and rays; a series of small, dark brown spots running along the back and continuing into dorsal-fin base; head finely dotted with white, turning white on branchiostegal membranes; a curving black line behind eye; cheek with 2 small black spots; caudal and soft dorsal ray tips white. Dorsal rays XIII, 23-24; 13 unbranched caudal rays (Ref. 54980).