This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: scaly temporal region with scales on top of head reaching forward to just in front of the anterior nostrils; naked suborbital; the lower margin of the eye is tangent to or just above a line from snout tip to upper pectoral-fin base; exposed bony ridge below the eye with an antrorse and retrorse spine; scales on preopercle are extending to posterior margin, scales behind suborbital 5-6 rows and behind eye 3-4 rows; the lower limb of preopercle usually has a single row of embedded scales; scales on opercle 4-7 rows; most body scales (except for caudal peduncle) have a black spot; caudal peduncle white; usually a white band is present beneath lateral line, from origin of lateral line to below posterior part of dorsal fin; from nape onto operculum is a broad white bar, and suborbital with distinctive white patch - all these not present in juveniles and smaller subadults; upper limb of opercular margin narrowly brown, the lower limb narrowly reddish-orange; upper base of pectoral fin with a small dark spot; pelvic and anal fins are crimson or orange-red (Ref. 120656).