This species of Starksia is distinguished by the following set of characters: orbital cirrus present; two rows of prominent, very dark blotches on side of body, at least some of those in lower row vertically elongate to oval, rarely round; males with dark, fat, crescent-shaped marking on cheek and without dark blotch on anterior portion of spinous dorsal fin; females with scattered dark spots on lower half of head and on pectoral-fin base; first anal-fin spine in males two-thirds to three-quarters length of male genital papilla; belly naked (Ref. 86414).