Distinguished by the following combination of characters: snout blunt; lateral line complete; 8 1/2 branched dorsal-fin rays; 9+8 branched caudal-fin rays; no sexual dimorphism; 8-11 indistinct bars, wider than interspaces; caudal-peduncle length 14.1-16.5% standard length, 68.1-90.4% HL; anterior portion of body scaleless; air bladder entirely embedded in bony capsule; lateral head length 105.0-121.9% head length; lower jaw with a notch at symphysis; lower lip completely interrupted; interorbital width 1.9-2.2 times eye diameter; pelvic-fin origin ventral to dorsal-fin origin; anus 1.0-1.5 eye diameter anterior of anal-fin origin; the widest part of black basal caudal bar is the midlateral, and then the upper and lower ends (Ref. 56368).

Description: dorsal-fin rays 3, 81/2; branched anal-fin rays 5 1/2; pectoral-fin rays 1, 10; pelvic-fin rays 1,7;