Description: Body very shallow and oval to pyriform; caudal peduncle long (Ref. 126312). Head narrow, dorsally flat, and with straight dorsal outline; interorbital area flat and average in width in comparison to generalised Haplochromis elegans, but very broad for a piscivorous species; eye very small and high on head; cheek and lacrimal deep; snout very long, acute, and slopes gently at 30-40°; premaxillary pedicel long and strongly prominent (Ref. 126312). Jaws isognathous, long, stout, very narrow, and rounded in dorsal view; gape large and slopes gently at 15-25°; maxilla (almost) extends to vertical through anterior margin of orbit; lower jaw relatively deep and with a weakly convex ventral outline in lateral view, mental prominence absent or weakly developed, and lower jaw side nearly flat with an inclination of 25-30° to horizontal in anterior view; upper jaw expanded anteriorly; lips and oral mucosa large (Ref. 126312). Neurocranium shallow, ethmo-vomerine block decurved, preorbital region very shallow, 19-21% of neurocranium length, orbital region shallow, 27-32% of neurocranium length, and supraoccipital crest very shallow and pyramidical or wedge-shaped (Ref. 126312). Outer oral teeth few, unicuspid, and large; necks stout, conical, and straight; crowns recurved and acutely pointed; dental arcades rounded; outer teeth widely and very irregularly set with neck-distances of 1-5 neck-widths; in upper jaw, 2-3 posteriormost teeth enlarged; inner teeth relatively large, recurved, unicuspid in large specimens larger than 75 mm standard length, tricuspid in small specimens less than 75 mm standard length; tooth bands very slender crescent-shaped with 1-3 rows of inner teeth and narrow posteriorly until only outer row remains past 2/3 length of tooth band in upper jaw, past 1/2 length of tooth band in lower jaw; inner teeth widely and irregularly set on 1/2-1 outer neck-width from outer row; implantation erect in first row and recumbent in subsequent rows; size decreases slightly buccally and posteriorly (Ref. 126312). Lower pharyngeal bone long, narrow, slim, and shallow over entire 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, about 10 in each row; posterior transverse row with 15-16 teeth, implanted recumbently with 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; 33-34 scales on longitudinal line, 23-23 upper lateral line scales, 9-12 lower lateral line scales; 17-19 caudal peduncle scales; 6-7 scales between pectoral and pelvic fins; 4-5 infraorbital cheek scales, 9-12 postorbital cheek scales (Ref. 126312). Caudal fin emarginate; dorsal and anal fins reach to vertical through 2-4 scales anterior to caudal-fin base; pectoral and pelvic fins reach to just anterior to genital opening in females, unknown in males; first branched pelvic-fin ray slightly elongated in all specimens (Ref. 126312). Ceratobranchial gill rakers in outer row of first gill arch short, stout, and simple; posteriormost rakers simple to trifid or anvil-shaped; epibranchial gill rakers slender and simple (Ref. 126312).

Colouration: Colouration in life: colour pattern of dominant males unknown (Ref. 126312). Females and juveniles: dorsal parts of body and operculum olive-green; ventral parts of body and operculum white; abrupt transition at height of lower lateral line; flank with a well-defined black mid-lateral band from posterior margin of eye to caudal-fin base; dorsum with a blue sheen; cheek and lower jaw white; lacrimal, snout, and lips dusky olive-green; eye with dark grey outer ring and golden inner ring; nostril and interorbital stripes faint; lacrimal blotch large anteroventrally of eye; pectoral fin yellowish; pelvic fin hyaline with a greenish sheen; dorsal and caudal fins uniformly dusky, dorsal fin with black lappets; anal fin with a hyaline-white base, a dusky-yellow distal part, and 1-2 small spots resembling egg-spots (Ref. 126312). Preserved colourartion of females and juveniles: dorsal part of body brown; ventral part of body, cheek, and lower jaw white; lacrimal, snout and lips dusky; flank with a mid-lateral band from posterior margin of eye to caudal-fin base; nostril and interorbital stripes faint, lacrimal blotch present; pectoral fin hyaline; pelvic fin white; dorsal and caudal fins uniformly dusky, dorsal fin with black lappets; anal fin with a white base and dusky distally (Ref. 126312).