This species can be diagnosed by the combination of the following characters: presence of four dark bands on the flank in males and females; dorsal profile of head strongly convex; snout blunt; conspicuously subterminal; flesh maxilla and lower lip; length of the maxilla in males markedly longer than that in females, not sexually dimorphic; black spots on the body irregularly shaped; 15-17 scale rows between the lateral line and the anal-fin origin; head depth through eye in males 12-13% SL; and maxilla length 9-10 % SL, mean 9 (Ref. 99540).