This species is distinguished by the following characters: high precaudal vertebral counts, 15 or 16 ; high longitudinal and predorsal scale counts, 89-91 and 21-26, respectively); with concentrated dark pigment along dorsum with ventral portion of head unpigmented, especially cheek, jaws, throat, operculum, and ventral of nares; dentary teeth caniniform, greatest tooth length two to three times greater than that of premaxillary teeth; no premaxillary postmaxillary process (Ref. 130813).