This species is characterized by the following: large head broad and slightly longer than 1/3 SL, as wide as long; upper profile of head straight; mouth position upper, posterior margin of upper jaw reaching slightly short of anterior margin of eye; lips clearly pronounced; the eye is smaller than orbit, covered with thin transparent skin; interorbital distance great; 2 pairs of nostrils, with anterior pair tubular; teeth on jaw sharply conical, arranged in 3 rows near symphysis; front teeth very small, inner teeth arranged in 2 rows, larger, bent backward; barbels on posterior end of lower jaw very long, of moderate thickness, coiled in

small balls apically, reaching beyond margin of operculum when stretched backwards and straightened; large branchial openning; gill rakers present on ceratobranchial only, clubbed and bearing several very small bony spinules apically; gill lamellae short, pale over entire length of gill arches; pharyngeal teeth very small, forming oval platforms on haryngobranchial 3 and ceratobranchial 5 (Ref. 116656).