Description: Body average in depth in comparison to generalised Haplochromis elegans, but deep for a piscivorous species, and rhomboid (Ref. 126312). Head average in width and with a concave to weakly convex dorsal outline; eye small; interorbital area very narrow; cheek and lacrimal deep; lacrimal somewhat convex and hereby protrudes somewhat laterally (Ref. 126312). Snout average in length, acute, and slopes gently at 30-40°; premaxillary pedicel long and prominent; jaws isognathous, long, slim, narrow, and rounded in dorsal view; gape large and slopes gently at 20-35°; maxilla extends to between verticals through anterior margins of orbit and pupil; lower jaw shallow and with a straight ventral outline in lateral view, mental prominence absent or weakly developed, and lower jaw side nearly flat with an inclination of 15-25° to horizontal in anterior view; upper jaw not expanded; lips and oral mucosa thin (Ref. 126312). Neurocranium average in depth, ethmo-vomerine block decurved to horizontally inclined, preorbital region shallow, 21-24% of neurocranium length, orbital region average in depth, 30-32% of neurocranium length, and supraoccipital crest deep and pyramidical or weakly wedge-shaped (Ref. 126312). Outer oral teeth numerous and very small; necks stout, conical, and straight; crowns weakly recurved, unicuspid in large specimens of more than 80 mm standard length, anteriorly unicuspid and posteriorly mostly bi-, weakly bi-, and weakly tricuspid in small specimens of less than 80 mm standard length, all acutely pointed; dental arcades rounded; outer teeth closely and regularly set with neck-distances of 1/2-1 neck width; in upper jaw, 1-3 posteriormost teeth slightly enlarged; inner teeth small, straight, an admixture of acutely pointed unicuspids and weakly tricuspids; tooth bands very slender crescent-shaped with 1-2 rows of inner teeth, and narrow posteriorly until only outer row remains past 2/3 length of tooth band; inner teeth closely and regularly set on 1-3/2 outer neck-widths from outer row; implantation mostly recumbent; size uniform throughout tooth band (Ref. 126312). Lower pharyngeal bone average in length, triangular, slim, and shallow over whole length; pharyngeal teeth relatively large and slender; major cusps acutely pointed; cusp gaps nearly straight; minor cusps and cusp protuberances mostly absent; teeth in two median longitudinal rows equal in size and form to lateral teeth, 11-13 in each row; posterior transverse row with 20-21 teeth, implanted erectly with a lateral inclination; major cusps nearly straight, bluntly pointed, and laterally compressed; minor cusps mostly present (Ref. 126312). Chest scales small; transition to larger flank scales gradual; minute scales on proximal half of caudal fin ; scales in longitudinal line 31-36, scales in upper lateral line 18-27, scales in lower lateral line 9-13, scales between dorsal fin and upper lateral line 6-8, scales between upper lateral line and anal fin 10-14, scales around caudal peduncle 16-20, scales between pectoral and pelvic fins 6-8, infraorbital cheek scales 3-5, postorbital cheek scales 8-13 (Ref. 126312). Caudal fin emarginate; dorsal and anal fins reach to between verticals through caudal-fin base and two scales posterior to this vertical; in about half of all specimens, some minute, ellipsoid scales present on basal part of membrane of anal fin; between some pairs of fin rays, up to two rows of 1-5 scales extend from body onto fin; scales very variable in distribution and invisible to naked eye; dorsal fin rarely with a few isolated rows of 1-4 minute scales; pectoral fin long and reaches to between first anal-fin spine and second anal fin branched ray; pelvic fin reaches to between first and second anal-fin spine in females, to second anal-fin branched ray in males; first branched pelvic-fin ray elongated in all specimens (Ref. 126312). All gill rakers in outer row of first gill arch short, relatively stout, and mostly simple, but sometimes anvil-shaped or weakly bifid (Ref. 126312).

Colouration: Colouration in life of dominant males: body and dorsal part of head light grey with faint yellow sheen; ventral half of body blue-black; balle and chest black; cheek, lower jaw, and lips white; snout dusky; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and silver inner ring; flank with a well-defined mid-lateral band, an interrupted dorsal-lateral band, and 5-6 vertical stripes; lacrimal and vertical preopercular stripes well-defined; posterior margin of operculum black; pectoral fin hyaline; pelvic fin black; dorsal fin dusky and with black lappets, base, and posterior part; anal fin black and with 2-7 very large egg-spots, i.e., three times distance between rays, with dusky rings; caudal fin dusky and with black base, hyaline distal part, and maculated dorsal part (Ref. 126312). Colouration in life of females and juveniles: body and head uniformly white, except for light grey dorsum and dorsal part of head and a dusky snout; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and silver inner ring; flank with faint to well-defined mid-lateral and interrupted dorsal-lateral bands; pectoral and dorsal fins hyaline; dorsal fin with black lappets and dusky base and distal part; anal and caudal fins yellow; anal fin with 3-5 spots resembling egg spots; caudal fin with a dusky base and a dusky and maculated dorsal part (Ref. 126312). Preserved colouration: body and operculum with yellowish dorsal part, white ventral part; transition gradual; in dominant males, ventral part of body overlain black; flank with mostly mid-lateral and interrupted dorsal-lateral bands; in dominant males, with 5-6 vertical stripes; cheek yellowish, snout dusky, and lower jaw whitish; nostril and interorbital stripes and nape band faint in all specimens; lacrimal stripe faint in females, broad and well-defined in males; vertical preopercular stripes well-defined in males; pectoral fin hyaline; pelvic and anal fins yellowish in females and black in males; anal fin with 2-7 large egg-spots in males; caudal and dorsal fins dusky and dorsal fin with black lappets; in males, base of caudal fin and posterior part of dorsal fin black (Ref. 126312).