Description: Body shallow and oval (Ref. 126312). Head long, very narrow, and with a straight dorsal outline; eye small; interorbital area narrow; lacrimal and cheek deep (Ref. 126312). Snout long, rounded in dorsal view, very narrow, acute, and slopes gently at 30-40°; premaxillary pedicel long and weakly prominent; jaws long, relatively stout, narrow, isognathous, and acute in dorsal view; gape large and slopes gently at 20-30°; maxilla extends, almost, to vertical through anterior margin of orbit; lower jaw relatively stout and with a straight to slightly convex ventral outline in lateral view, mental prominence absent or weakly developed, and lower jaw side steep with an inclination of 35-45° to horizontal in anterior view; upper jaw expanded anteriorly and weakly ventrally; lips and oral mucosa large (Ref. 126312). Neurocranium shallow, ethmo-vomerine block decurved, preorbital region shallow, 20-23% of neurocranium lengt, orbital region shallow, 28-31% of neurocranium length, and supraoccipital crest shallow and wedge-shaped (Ref. 126312). Outer oral teeth few, unicuspid, and very large; necks conical, stout, and straight; crowns recurved and acutely pointed; dental arcades rounded; outer teeth widely and irregularly set with neck-distances of 1-4 neck-widths; in upper jaw, 1-3 posteriormost teeth slightly enlarged; inner teeth small, strongly recurved, unicuspid, and acutely pointed; tooth bands very slender crescent-shaped with 1-3 rows of inner teeth, and narrow posteriorly until only outer row remains past 3/4 length of tooth band; inner teeth closely and regularly set on 1-2 outer neck-widths from outer row; implantation recumbent; size decreases slightly buccally and posteriorly (Ref. 126312). Lower pharyngeal bone average in length, triangular, slim, and shallow over whole length; pharyngeal teeth relatively large and slender; major cusps acutely pointed; cusp gaps straight; minor cusps and cusp protuberances mostly absent; teeth in two median longitudinal rows equal in size and form to lateral teeth, 10-12 in each row; posterior transverse row with 15-16 teeth, implanted recumbently with a lateral inclination; major cusps recurved, bluntly pointed, and laterally compressed; minor cusps small (Ref. 126312). Chest scales small; transition to larger flank scales gradual; minute scales on proximal half of caudal fin; scales in longitudinal line 32-37, scales on upper lateral line 21-25, scales on lower lateral line 8-13, scales between dorsal fin and upper lataeral line 5-7, scales between upper lateral line and anal fin 10-15, scales around caudal peduncle 16-20, scales between pectoral and pelvic fins 6-8, infraorbital cheek scales 3-5, postorbital cheek scales 9-12 (Ref. 126312). Caudal fin emarginate; dorsal and anal fins reach to between verticals through one scale anterior to and two scales posterior to caudal-fin base; pectoral and pelvic fins reach to between anal opening and first anal-fin spine; first branched pelvic-fin ray not elongated (Ref. 126312). Ceratobranchial gill rakers in outer row of first gill arch short, stout, and simple; posteriormost rakers anvil-shaped to rarely weakly trifid; epibranchial gill rakers slender and simple (Ref. 126312).

Colouration: Colouration in life of dominant males: flank and caudal peduncle light blue; dorsum grey with a yellow sheen; belly, chest, and operculum blackish with a yellow sheen; flank with 5-7 faint vertical stripes; preoperculum black; cheek black with blue sheen; lacrimal and snout dusky; lower jaw blackish; branchiostegal membrane black; eye with dark grey outer ring and silver inner ring; nostril, interorbital, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes well-defined; nape band, vertical preopercular stripe, and mental blotch present; operculum with black posterior border; pectoral and dorsal fins hyaline; dorsal fin with black lappets, dusky base, and dusky and maculated crimson posterior part; anal and caudal fins crimson; anal fin with dusky posterior part and 12 large orange egg-spots with dusky rings; caudal fin with dusky base, hyaline posterior part, and crimson maculae (Ref. 126312). Colouration in life of females: strikingly similar to dominant males; body, dorsum, and caudal peduncle grey with a yellow sheen; flanks light blue and with 5-7 faint vertical stripes; belly and chest blackish with a yellow sheen; operculum, preoperculum, cheek, lacrimal, and snout grey; operculum with blue sheen; cheek with black sheen; lower jaw blackish; branchiostegal membrane black; eye with dark grey outer ring and silver inner ring; nostril, interorbital, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes well-defined; nape band, vertical preopercular stripe, and mental blotch faint; operculum with faint black posterior border; pectoral and dorsal fins hyaline; dorsal fin with black lappets, dusky base, and dusky posterior part; anal and caudal fins yellow with a red sheen; anal fin with hyaline posterior part and 1-2 spots resembling egg-spots; caudal fin with dusky base, hyaline posterior part, and dusky maculae (Ref. 126312). Colouration in life of juveniles: dorsum greyish; belly, chest, operculum, and cheek white; transition gradual; nostril, interorbital, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes, nape band, and mental blotch faint; pectoral, pelvic, dorsal, and anal fins hyaline; dorsal fin with black lappets and dusky base and posterior part; anal fin with a yellow sheen and 1-2 spots resembling egg-spots; caudal fin dusky and with black maculae and a yellow ventral part (Ref. 126312). Preserved colouration: dorsum brown; belly and chest speckled black; flank dark yellowish and with 6-8 faint vertical stripes; cheek yellow and speckled black; snout dusky; lower jaw and pre- and subopercula black; nostril, interorbital, and vertical preopercular stripes well-defined; lacrimal stripe broad and well-defined; supraorbital stripe and nape band faint; pectoral and anal fins hyaline; anal fin with black lappets, a dusky posterior margin, and 1-2 large egg-spots; pelvic fin black; dorsal fin dusky and with black lappets and a maculated posterior part; caudal fin dorsally dusky, ventrally hyaline, and with a dusky base (Ref. 126312).