This species is distinguished by the following characters: gill rakers on first gill arch, upper series 15-17 (modally 15), lower series 20-25 (25), total 35-41 (40); gill rakers on second gill arch, upper series 11-13 (11), lower series 18-22 (22), total 29-34 (33); gill rakers on third gill arch, upper series 8-10 (8), lower series 11-14 (11, 13), total 19-24 (19); gill rakers on fourth gill arch, upper series 7-8 (7), lower series 9-11 (9, 10), total 16-19 (17); prepelvic scutes 5-7 (6); upper jaw long, posterior tip slightly beyond or just reaching posterior border of preopercle; predorsal scute absent; posterior border of preopercle is convex, rounded; a pair of dark patches behind the occiput without a following pair of dark lines; no black spots below the eye and lower-jaw tip; pectoral fin is short, its length 15.8-16.4 % of SL; pelvic fin is short, its length 8.2-8.3 % of SL; posterior tip of depressed pelvic fin is not reaching to vertical through dorsal-fin origin (Ref. 128119).