Distinguished from other species by possessing the following characters: upper part of caudal-fin base with elongated narrow dark spot; males with one lamina Canestrini in the pectoral fin, usually broad, axe-shaped; more or less rounded scales with a relatively small central part devoid of cross furrows; Gambetta’s zones of pigmentation are well developed, the fourth zone with relatively small and low 15-28, usually more than 18 spots whose depth is about two times smaller than the horizontal eye diameter (the largest spots on the caudal peduncle are also noticeably smaller than the horizontal eye diameter); the suborbital spine always reaches the posterior edge of the pupil and usually goes further and in small specimens (with TL less than 6.5 cm), usually reaches the posterior edge of the eye; the outer branch of this spine usually (95.5 %) goes as far as centre of eye and often further; head moderately long and deep with a more or less straight profile; 2n=50 (5 pairs of meta-, 15 pairs of submeta-, 4 pairs of subtelo- and 1 pair of acrocentrics), NF=90 (Ref. 78640).