Diagnosed from its congeners by having the following characters: very thin and not overlapping scales; skin not thickened, scales clearly visible, covering whole body, often narrowly to widely separated in particular in pre-pelvic area; conspicuous broad dark midlateral stripe from eye to end of caudal peduncle within pigmented area on back and flank; dorsal and anal fins with 7½ branched rays; snout stout, markedly rounded, mouth subterminal; and short, interrupted lateral line, usually with 23-37 pored scales, ending in area between pectoral and anal (Ref. 59043).