The breeding male of this species, which is a member of the subgenus Doration, is distinguished by the following characters: a spinous dorsal fin with black marginal and submedial bands, orange medial band, basal band lacking bright orange pigment; soft dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins with subdued but usually discrete orange spots on rays; absence of blue pigment on soft dorsal and anal fins; anal fin with subdued orange spots on rays; face and lower head dark gray with milky blue sheen; deep blue on operculum, preoperculum, cheek, and suborbital bar (not on lips and mid-gular region); quadrate lateral blue blotches extending ventrad from lateral line scale row; blue wedge on ventral half of caudal fin base but not developed dorsally. Additional characters include absence of frenum; incomplete lateral line; unpored scales modally greater than 10 (16); usually naked cheek; the palatine teeth usually absent, present in 16% of specimens; dorsal fin spines modally 11-12, soft rays modally 11; anal fin soft rays modally 8; pectoral fin rays modally 14; principal caudal fin rays modally 15; caudal peduncle scales modally 16; preoperculomandibular canal pores modally 10 (Ref. 92294).