Distinguished by the following characters: mouth moderate; reaching to below mideye; operculum with a small patch of 3-7 cycloid scales dorsally; second dorsal I,9; pectoral rays 18-20 (usually 19); predorsal scale count 14-17; lateral canal short, ending above posterior preopercular margin, only one pore above preoperculum and the terminal pore; papilla line 6 absent; body with dark saddles dorsally and no dark lines on midside; first dorsal fin in males with a small black spot posteriorly behind fifth dorsal spine to end of fin, females without spot (Ref. 90210).