This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: snout is moderately long, sharply pointed in lateral and dorsal views, its length 39–42% of head length; lateral nasal ridge is completely supported by nasal bone; light organ is short, with length less than 1/2 orbit diameter, its anterior margin falling far short of pelvic-fin bases; premaxillary teeth in short, uniformly wide band, with the posterior end of the tooth band not reaching lateral corner of mouth; teeth not greatly enlarged; body scales are covered with short, reclined, narrowly blade-like spinules in widely divergent rows; buttresses of body scale spinules are scarcely developed; occipital scales between parietal ridges armed with divergent rows of long, erect, and needle-like spinules; nasal fossa usually naked (a few small scales rarely present anteroventrally); patches of small scales sparsely distributed on the ventral surface of head; scales on underside of head armed with 1-3 rows of short, erect, needle-like to knife-like spinules; interdorsal space is longer than first dorsal-fin base length; subopercle terminating as a long, slender flap; body dark overall with no prominent markings; fins are uniformly blackish (Ref. 129407).