Diagnosis: slender, gracile lower pharyngeal jaw with a narrow, elongate keel; 17-19 gill-rakers on lower limb of first arch; entire premaxillary oral flap; mature males with a prominent oblique band behind head (Ref. 52346).

Description: juveniles (<8cm SL) relatively slender and gracile, adults extremely deep bodied and rotund (Ref. 52346). Predorsal profile rises steeply over snout (Ref. 52307, 52346) but is usually interrupted by a thickening in interorbital region, and rises sharply again in a broad sweep to origin of dorsal fin; deepest body depth along back lies at, or a little behind, dorsal fin origin; lower jaw more or less horizontal when closed, but may be slightly inclined in larger individuals; lips extremely thick and fleshy; lower pharyngeal jaw slender and gracile; vertebral apophysis borne on third and fourth vertebrae and of standard Tylochromis type; highly crenate, closely overlapping rakers along lower limb of first arch; epibranchial rakers elongate; 35-37 lateral line scales; upper branch of lateral line terminates a little in advance of end of soft dorsal, usually below 4th-5th ray from free end of fin; terminal canal bearing pores rarely descend scale rows; dorsal, ventral and median branches of lateral line on caudal fin well developed and extend almost to fin periphery; dorsal fin spines increase in length to 5th-6th, and are then more or less equal in length; anal fin rounded; pectoral fin relatively short, rarely reaching origin of anal fin; first branched pelvic ray produced and filamentous, sometimes extending well beyond anal fin in males, reaching along soft anal in females; caudal fin roundly emarginate and densely scaled almost to periphery, even in small individuals (Ref. 52346). Caudal fin moderately subtruncate (Ref. 52307).

Coloration: adult male: greenish bronze along dorsum becoming light silvery green on flank, cheek and caudal peduncle (Ref. 52346). Each scale edged with black (Ref. 52307, 52346), and pigmented scale edges aligned such as to lend impression of numerous longitudinal striations (Ref. 52346). Broad pale band interrupts these striations just behind head, traversing side of fish and going down obliquely from region just behind nape to base of pelvic fins; chest and belly light yellow; branchiostegal membranes, lower lip and upper lip fold membranes white; upper lip black; ethmoidal, interorbital and cheek regions dark greenish black; just anterior to black nape band is a small region of dark brownish gold; dorsal and anal fins dark smokey grey and spotted by numerous pale creamy maculae (Ref. 52346). Caudal fin pale yellow and streaked with numerous black longitudinal stripes (Ref. 52346), often with a dark spot at anterior end (Ref. 52307). Pectoral and pelvic fins light smokey grey/brown (Ref. 52346). Females: similar in coloration, but somewhat less strikingly marked and paler (particulary on cheek); dorsal fin strongly maculate, but only faint traces of a few maculae on anal fin; caudal fin dark grey without longitudinal striations; female lacks strong brownish golden region just anterior to nape band, and pale oblique band so striking in males is barely discernible (Ref. 52346). Mature females with a streak of red from corner of mouth across cheek (Ref. 52307, 52346). Both sexes with only faint traces of vertical striping; preserved juveniles often with traces of 5-6 vertical bands (Ref. 52346).