Description: Body shallow and oval (Ref. 126312). Head long, narrow, and with a straight to gently convex dorsal outline; interorbital area narrow; eye average in size in comparison to generalised H. elegans, but large for a piscivorous species; cheek deep; lacrimal average in depth (Ref. 126312). Snout average in length, rounded in dorsal view, narrow, relatively blunt, and slopes gently at 35-45°; premaxillary pedicel long and (strongly) prominent;; jaws isognathous to weakly prognathous, long, narrow, and rounded in dorsal view; gape large and slopes at 25-35°; maxilla extends to vertical through anterior margin of pupil; lower jaw relatively stout and with straight ventral outline in lateral view, mental prominence absent or weakly developed, and lower jaw side nearly flat with an inclination of 25-35° to horizontal in anterior view; upper jaw expanded anteriorly; lips and oral mucosa relatively large (Ref. 126312). Neurocranium average in depth, ethmo-vomerine block decurved, preorbital region shallow, 18-24% of neurocranium length, orbital region average in depth, 30-33% of neurocranium length, and supraoccipital crest shallow and wedge-shaped (Ref. 126312). Outer oral teeth few, unicuspid, and very large; necks stout, conical, and straight; crowns straight to weakly recurved and acutely pointed; dental arcades with anterior half expanded laterally; outer teeth widely and irregularly set with neck-distances of 1-4 neck-widths; no enlarged teeth posterior in upper jaw; inner teeth small, recurved, a mixture of unicuspid and weakly tricuspid, weakly tricuspid rare in large specimens larger than 100mm standard length, and acutely pointed in all specimens; tooth bands very slender crescent-shaped with 1-2 rows of inner teeth, and narrow posteriorly until only outer row remains past 3/4 length of tooth band in upper jaw, past 2/3 length of tooth band in lower jaw; inner teeth closely and regularly set on 1 outer neck-width from outer row; implantation recumbent; size uniform throughout tooth band (Ref. 126312). Lower pharyngeal bone long, very narrow, slim, and shallow over whole length; pharyngeal teeth relatively large and slender; major cusps acutely pointed; cusp gaps concave; minor cusps and cusp protuberances very small; teeth in two median longitudinal rows equal in size and form to lateral teeth, 12 in each row; posterior transverse row with 16-17 teeth, implanted erectly with a lateral inclination; major cusps nearly straight, bluntly pointed, and laterally compressed; minor cusps mostly absent (Ref. 126312). Chest scales small; transition to larger flank scales gradual; minute scales on proximal half of caudal fin; scales on longitudinal line 32-35, scales on upper lateral line 20-23, scales on lower lateral line 10-14, scales between dorsal fin and upper lateral line 5-7, scales between upper lateral line and anal fin 11-15, scales around caudal peduncle 17-20, scales between pectoral and pelvic fins 3-5, infraorbital cheek scales 3-5, postorbital cheek scales 9-12 (Ref. 126312). Caudal fin emarginate; dorsal and anal fins reach to between verticals through caudal-fin base and two scales anterior to this vertical; pectoral fin reaches to between genital opening and second anal-fin spine; pelvic fin reaches to genital opening in females, to between first and second anal-fin spines in males; first pelvic fin ray slightly elongated in all specimens (Ref. 126312). Ceratobranchial gill rakers in outer row of firt gill arch short, stout, and simple; posteriormost rakers anvil-shaped or bifid; epibranchial gill rakers slender and simple (Ref. 126312).

Colouration: Colouration in life of dominant males: body metallic grey; dorsum greyish; belly speckled black; chest, cheek, snout, lower jaw, and lips black; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and golden inner ring; nostril, interorbital, and lacrimal stripes very faint; pectoral fin hyaline, pelvic fin black; dorsal fin sooty and with black lappets; anal and caudal fins bright red and with dusky bases; anal fin with dusky posterior part and 1-2 large orange egg-spots with dusky rings (Ref. 126312). Colouration in life of females and juveniles: body and dorsal part of head silver with yellowish sheen; belly, chest, operculum, cheek, lower jaw, and lips white; snout dusky; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and silver inner ring; nostril and interorbital stripes faint; pectoral fin hyaline, pelvic fin white; dorsal and caudal fins dusky; dorsal fin with black lappets; caudal fin with a yellowish base and a faint red distal part; anal fin yellow with a red sheen (Ref. 126312). Preserved colouration: body brown; dorsum dark brown; ventral part of body and operculum yellowish; chest and lower jaw black in males; cheek yellowish in females, dark-brown in males; snout dusky; nostril and interorbital stripes faint; lacrimal stripe narrow and well-defined; mental blotch present; vertical preopercular stripe well-defined in males; pectoral fin yellowish with blackish first rays in females, black in males; dorsal fin dusky and with black lappets and maculated posterior part; anal fin yellowish with a dusky overlay and, in males, with black lappets and 1-2 large egg-spots; caudal fin with a dusky base, a hyaline distal part, and, in males, whole ventral half hyaline (Ref. 126312).