This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: dorsal surface is smooth, no prominent thorns or tubercles, except for the slightly enlarged granular denticles partially around orbital rims and rather regularly distributed along midline from nape to or to somewhat anterior to first dorsal-fin origin, none between dorsal fins and upper caudal fin; the snout semi-translucent with a few, somewhat elongated bluish-gray spots only, giving it a very reduced stripe-nosed appearance, patterning with small bluish-gray circular spots generally few and confined to symmetrical patterns on snout tip, the posterior pectoral-fin margins, a pair of tiny spots on midbody behind occipital joint, and few spots on posterior pelvic-fin margins; brown spots indistinct on body and dorsal and caudal fins; ventral surface is white except for a blackish blotch and two tiny black spots on ventral snout tip in smallest juvenile paratype; nasal lamellae 43-48; upper jaw tooth row count ca. 64-78; post-synarcual centra 181-186; total vertebral segments 194-200; total pectoral skeleton radials 63-67 (Ref. 124452).