Distinguished from all congeners by the combination of the following characters: dorsal fin with 9-10 rays; anal fin with 6-7 spines and 8 rays; precaudal vertebrae 14; caudal vertebrae 12; total vertebrae 26; longitudinal series scales 24-26; upper lateral line series scales 16-18; head depth 95.4-98.9% HL; last dorsal-fin spine length 16.0-16.8% SL; body depth 47.4-51.3% SL; pelvic fin length 32.4-37.2% SL; predorsal length 47.1-49.6% SL; preorbital depth 64.2-73.3% HL; head width 48.9-53.6% HL; ectopterigoid narrow; process of second vertebra truncate; epibranchial 2 with two long tubular processes; anterior arm of epibranchial 1 long; trunk bars never ventrally forked, trunk bar 5 dorsally unforked, straight connection between trunk bars 5-6 above upper lateral line, dorsal portion of trunk bars 2-4 inclined posteriorly, trunk bar 1 only slightly curved, with anterior margin not expanded; opercle without spots and body side usually red (Ref. 75696).