Distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: lower lip fleshy with dense cluster of very short papillae, scaly posteriorly (on posterior abdominal part of angular of lower jaws); presence of 10 unobstructed pores on and behind chin; maxilla without scales; body with 2 faint longitudinal dark stripes, 1st from nape to base of mid dorsal-fin soft rays, 2nd from eye to base of last dorsal-fin soft ray, their width below base of 5th and 6th dorsal-fin spines clearly narrower than pupil diameter in 6.5-15.8 cm SL; soft rayed portions of dorsal and anal fins somewhat rounded posteriorly and slightly angulated posteriorly, respectively; pelvic-fin tip almost reaching to or slightly beyond base of 1st anal-fin spine when depressed; pored lateral-line scales 41 or 42; a procumbent spine-like process (exposed tip of 1st pterygiophore) apparent at origin of dorsal fin but covered by predorsal scales (Ref. 76777).