Distinguished from all its congeners in Adriatic basin by having the following unique characters: lips fleshy; lateral line scales elliptical, reduced to little more than nerve tube, smaller than scales in adjacent rows; 100-120 scales along lateral line; 26-32 gill rakers. Differs further by the combination of the following features: jaw teeth small or indistinct; snout blunt; and mouth subinferior (Ref. 59043).