Body ovate; head profile almost straight. Mouth small; lips not thickened; two pores and a central groove under the chin. No antrorse spine before the dorsal fin origin; notch between the spinous and soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin shallow. Color is generally silver-mauve to fawn above, white below. Small specimens with numerous spots aligned horizontally or fused into horizontal lines; large specimens plain or with scattered charcoal scale spots on back and upper sides; the snout is dark brown; the upper operculum charcoal or purplish.