Description: Head profile pointed; nape curved (Ref. 128600). Head exceeding one quarter but does not reach one-third of standard length; preopercular as long as preoccipital distance; eye diameter small; snout length nearly one third of head length or slightly less; anterior barbels reaching mid-way of eye; posterior ones reaching beyond anterior border of preoperculum (Ref. 128600). Body somewhat laterally compressed in cross section; body depth increasing from the occiput reaching its maximum height at about level of dorsal-fin origin; the difference between height at occiput and height at dorsal-fin origin varies from about 1.0-9.0% of standard length; pectoral fin tip reaching level of dorsal fin origin; dorsal profile curved; pelvic-fin base origin well behind dorsal-fin origin and not reaching origin of anal fin; lateral line complete, curved downwards from first to sixth scale, thereafter straight up to caudal fin; caudal peduncle longer than deep (Ref. 128600). Dorsal fin with 10-11 rays, anal fin with 8 rays, pelvic fin with 8-9 rays, pectoral fin with 13-16 rays (Ref. 128600). Scales on lateral line 22-26, scales from dorsal fin to lateral line 4.5, scales between lateral line and pelvic fin 2.5-3.0, predorsal scales 7-10, circumpeduncular scales 10-12, scales between lateral line and the middle of belly 4.5 (Ref. 128600). First dorsal-fin pterygiophore element, supporting the first and second unbranched dorsal-fin rays, between neural spines of the vertebral centrum 9 and 10, rarely 8 and 9; first pterygiophore of anal-fin rays inserted between vertebral centrum 19 and 20, 20 and 21 and rarely 18 and 19; vertebrae between first pterygiophores of dorsal and anal fin, 10-13; preanal caudal vertebrae 1 or 2, rarely 3; hypural 1 fused with parhypural 2; however, with a clearly visible seam between the two elements; hypural 1 and 2 either separated, but most often fused with a visible seam; four hypural elements, hypural 3-6, attached to the pleurostyle; a single epural present; caudal fin with 18-19 principal rays, 8 or 9 lower principal rays supported by the parhypural and hypural 1 and 2 and commonly 10, rarely 11, supported by the hypural 3-6; 7-9 upper procurrent rays and 6-9 lower procurrent rays (Ref. 128600). Pharyngeal jaw with pharyngeal teeth in three rows, with one or two teeth in the lateral row, two to three teeth in central row and four to five teeth in medial row; contralateral sides often differ in the tooth count on each of the three rows; distal teeth more pointed than proximal; on the right pharyngeal jaw, tips of distal teeth hooked; 9 and 10 teeth on left and right pharyngeal jaw, respectively (Ref. 128600). On the same pharyngeal jaw, the largest tooth is followed by a small one; furthermore, distance between last tooth and the tip of the proximal end of the bone long on the left pharyngeal bone only (Ref. 128600).

Colouration: In life, overall body colouration silver-blackish dorsally, while silver-brownish ventrally; flanks with a series of 3-4 black blotches situated just above lateral line; size and shape of blotches changing with size, i.e. small and round in specimens up to about 50 mm standard length, larger and more horizontally elongated in larger specimens; spots interconnected by a fine, inconspicuous, dark stripe; first blotch elongated and situated above pectoral fin and mainly anterior to dorsal fin; second one also elongated and situated in-between levels of posterior tips of dorsal and anal fins and connected to the third, which has a horizontally orientated diamond shape and is situated at caudal-fin base; upper part of iris of eye red; dorsal fin and upper lobe of caudal fin orange (Ref. 128600). In preserved specimens, colour pattern comparable to that of live specimens but flanks becoming darker, black spots brighter and fins brown greyish; fin dark stripe absent (Ref. 128600).