Diagnosis: labial disk rounded and rather large, its entire surface covered with large papillae; mandibular barbels short, auxiliary barbels absent; premaxillary teeth large, arranged in 3-4 rows; number of mandibular teeth most often 4+4, rarely 5+5; adipose fin beginning slightly ahead of anal-fin origin; eyes moderately developed; in juveniles of both sexes as well as in adult females, caudal fin forked, with rounded lobes, lower lobe longer than upper; in adult males, anal and caudal fins better developed, with median caudal rays longer than upper and lower ones, resulting in a lyre- shaped tail; no longitudinal black band on caudal-fin lobes (Ref. 57223).

Coloration: general appearance dark; body with 3 large, dark vertical bars separated by narrow pale areas; top of head and back more or less uniformly covered with large melanophores that may obscure the pale areas; in some individuals, melanophores also present on pectoral-fin bases and abdomen; anal fin dark; oblique bars on distal part of caudal-fin lobes (Ref. 57223).