This species is distinguished by the following characters: body's upper third greenish-brown in life with a series of 6 large, quadrangular, blackish spots, progressively shorter posteriorly; the lower 2/3 of it white, faintly blotched with pink and dotted with black, and the lower third with 6 large, quadrangular, dark reddish spots, dotted with black dorsally; head bluish grey with an oblique black line on cheek below eye, ending in a small black spot, followed by 2 broad reddish bands; a large black spot on dorsal fin centered on base of spinous part, and a row of small black spots on the soft portion; base of anal fin with a row of black spots; caudal fin with 2 broad blackish stripes; D V,21; A I,17; pectoral rays 16; 57 lateral line scales; gill rakers 7 + 11; lower jaw projecting, 3 pairs of canine teeth anteriorly in jaws; palatine teeth absent; vomerine teeth in a narrow, chevron-shaped patch of 3-4 rows; ctenoid scales dorsally on opercle, becoming cycloid, progressively smaller, and nonimbricate ventrally on cheek; 4th dorsal spine longest 3.7 in HL; greatest body depth 4.8 in SL; head length (HL) 3.65 in SL; orbit diameter 4.4 in HL; fourth dorsal spine is the longest; caudal fin emarginate on upper half with a narrow protruding posterior upper lobe and rounded on ventral half; pectoral fins 5.75 in SL; pelvic fins just reaching anus, 5.05 in SL (Ref. 79876).