Distinguished from its congeners in possessing the following unique combination of characters: distinct secondary rostrum; complete postoral pouch; body brown, with 9-10 grey bars, head dorsum dark brown, with thin grey reticulate pattern; absence of subopercular groove; gill slit vertical; sublacrymal groove; snout truncate when viewed dorsally; abdomen without scales; 56-60 scales in lateral line; pelvic fin not overlapping anal fin origin, adpressed dorsal fin falling short of level of anal fin origin (Ref. 56228).