The species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: rear angle of jaws ending posteriorly below the mideye; D2 I,9; pectoral fin rays 17; pelvic fins oval or truncated posteriorly; lateral scale series 26-27; anterior oculoscapular head canal with pore ?; suborbital row of sensory papillae b anteriorly beginning below vertical of posterior edge of eye; dark vertical B-shaped bar at caudal-fin base, the upper part of B-shaped bar may be darker and fringed by whitish narrow bands, thus providing single ocellus-like pattern; branchiostegal membrane without the intense pair of dark spots; cheek with two oblique whitish stripes, the first going from eye downwards and forward to the posterior jaws and the second on preopercular, alternating with brown oblique stripe in between going from behind eye downwards and forward across cheek (Ref. 123114).