Can be distinguished from its congeners by possessing the following unique combination of characters: distinct secondary rostrum present; complete post-oral pouch present; body brown with up to 12 cream bars, head dorsum brown with thin cream reticulate pattern; subopercular groove absent; gill slit vertical; sublacrymal groove present; a truncate snout when viewed dorsally; abdomen without scales; lateral line scales 60-68; pelvic fin not overlapping anal fin origin, adpressed dorsal fin not overlapping level of anal fin origin (Ref. 57871).