This species is distinguished by the following characters: gill rakers on upper limb of 1st gill arch, 16-19 (modally 18), on lower limb 23-27 (25), total 40-45 (44); gill rakers on upper limb of 2nd gill arch 11-15 (13), on lower limb 21-25 (23), total 33-39 (36); gill rakers on upper limb of 3rd gill arch 10-12 (11), on lower limb 13-15 (13), total 23-27; gill rakers on upper limb of 4th gill arch 7-9 (8), on lower limb 10-12 (11), total 17-21 (19); prepelvic scutes 5-7 (6); total vertebrae 40-41 (40); long maxilla, its posterior tip just reaching or slightly short of posterior margin of opercle; with predorsal scutes; pelvic scute no spine; body scales are deciduous; posterior border of preopercle is concave, indented; paired dark patch on parietal area with little following pigmentation; distinct double pigment lines present along dorsum posterior to dorsal fin; no black spots below eye and on lower-jaw tip; anal-fin base long, 19.0-21.3% (20.2%) of SL; maximum orbit diameter 7.3-8.6% (8.1%) of SL; third dorsal-fin ray is long, 18.5-19.9% (19.0%) of SL; pelvic fin is rather long, 9.4-11.0% (10.2%) of SL, its posterior tip not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin when depressed in specimens greater than 5.0 cm SL; distance between posterior ends of supramaxilla and maxilla 5.3-6.6% (5.8%) of SL (Ref. 130210).