Description: Body shallow and oval to rectangular (Ref. 126312). Head long, very narrow, and with a (weakly) convex dorsal outline; cheek deep; lacrimal very deep; eye very small and very high on head; interorbital area very narrow (Ref. 126312). Snout long, rounded in dorsal view, blunt, and slopes at 40-50°; premaxillary pedicel long and strongly prominent; jaws isognathous to weakly prognathous, long, very narrow, stout, and rounded in dorsal view; jaws expand slightly laterally, hereby often broader than snout; gape large and slopes gently at 15-25°; maxilla extends to vertical through anterior margin of orbit; lower jaw relatively deepand with a straight ventral outline in lateral view, mental prominence absent or weakly developed, and lower jaw side with an inclination of 30-35° to horizontal in anterior view; upper jaw strongly expanded anteriorly; lips and oral mucosa large (Ref. 126312). Neurocranium shallow, ethmo-vomerine block decurved, preorbital region very shallow, 18-20% of neurocranium length, orbital region shallow, 26-29% of neurocranium length, and supraoccipital crest shallow and wedge-shaped (Ref. 126312). Outer oral teeth few, unicuspid, and large; necks very stout, conical, and straight; crowns weakly recurved, rarely straight, and acutely pointed; dental arcades rounded; outer teeth widely and regularly set with neck-distances of 1-2 neck-widths; no enlarged teeth posterior in upper jaw; inner teeth straight to recurved, unicuspid, and relatively small in small specimens of less than 125 mm standard length, and large in large specimens of more than 125 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 regularly set on 1-2 outer neck-widths from outer row; implantation erect in first row and recumbent in subsequent rows; size decreases slightly buccally and posteriorly (Ref. 126312). Lower pharyngeal bone average in length, 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 mostly absent; teeth in two median longitudinal rows equal in size and form to lateral teeth, 11 in each row, posterior transverse row with 15-16 teeth, implanted recumbently with a lateral inclination; major cusps weakly recurved, bluntly pointed, and laterally compressed; minor cusps mostly absent (Ref. 126312). All scales relatively small; many scale rows, between anal fin and upper lateral line 12-16, infraorbital scales on cheek 4-7, and scales around caudal peduncle 18-20; many scales in longitudinal line, 34-38; chest scales small; transition to larger flank scales gradual; minute scales on proximal half of caudal fin; 22-27 upper lateral line scales, 8-14 lower lateral line scales, 10-13 postorbital cheek scales (Ref. 126312). Caudal fin emarginate; dorsal and anal fins reach to between verticals through two scales anterior to and one scale posterior to caudal-fin base; pectoral fin reaches to between anal opening and three scales anterior to this point; pelvic fin reaches to anal opening in females, to first anal-fin spine in males; first branched pelvic-fin ray not enlarged (Ref. 126312). Ceratobranchial gill rakers in outer row of first gill arch short, stout, and simple; posteriormost rakers anvil-shaped to weakly trifid; epibranchial gill rakers relatively slender and simple (Ref. 126312).

Colouration: Colouration in life of dominant males: body cream-coloured with faint orange sheen; dorsum greyish; belly and chest black; caudal peduncle with blue sheen; operculum, dorsal part of head, and interorbital area orange; snout, lower jaw, and lips light blue; cheek white and speckled black; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and silver inner ring; nostril, interorbital, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes faint; mental blotch present; pectoral and dorsal fin hyaline; dorsal fin with a dusky base, a dusky and maculated posterior part, and orange lappets, except for black anteriormost lappets; pelvic fin black; anal and caudal fins orange-red and with dusky bases; anal fin with dusky posterior part and 1-3 small orange egg-spots with dusky rings; caudal fin dorsally maculated orange (Ref. 126312). Colouration in life of females and juveniles: body cream-coloured with yellow sheen; dorsum and dorsal part of head greyish; belly, chest, operculum, cheek, and lower jaw white; snout dusky and faint light blue; eye with (dark) grey outer ring and silver inner ring; nostril, interorbital, supraorbital, and lacrimal stripes slender and well-defined; mental blotch present; pectoral, pelvic, anal, and caudal fins yellowish; anal fin with 2 spots resembling egg-spots; caudal fin with dusky base and dorsal part; dorsal fin dusky and with black lappets (Ref. 126312). Preserved colouration: body, belly, operculum, and cheek yellowish; dorsum brown; chest yellowish in females, black in males; flank rarely with 7-8 very faint narrow vertical stripes; snout dusky; in males, lower jaw black; in females, all head stripes faint and lacrimal stripe reduced to blotch below eye; inmales, head stripes as follows: nostril and interorbital stripes narrow, well-defined, and horizontally inclined in lateral view, while positioned anterior of nostrils and orbits, respectively, in dorsal view; lacrimal stripe distinct, broad, may cover whole lacrimal, and vaguely delineated; vertical preopercular stripe well-defined; supraorbital stripe present; nape band and mental blotch faint; pectoral and anal fins yellowish; anal fin with dusky base and posterior margin and 2 small egg-spots in males; pelvic fin yellowish with a black first ray in females, black in males; dorsal and caudal fins dusky and with yellowish posterior parts; dorsal fin with black lappets and maculated posterior parts (Ref. 126312).