This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII + 9, with the first spine minute; pectoral fins 12-14; gill rakers 5-7 + 16-19 = 22-25; lateral-line scales 28-30. Measurements in % SL for adults and for subadults in parentheses: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 24-28 (24-27) and at anus 19-24 (19-22); caudal-peduncle depth 9.9-11 (9.6-11) and width 2.6-4.3 (2.7=3.8); maximum head depth 20-24 (20-23); head depth through eye 16-20 (17-20); suborbital depth 9.2-13 (9.4-11); interorbital length 7.5-8.8 (7.6-8.6); head length 28-31 (30-32); snout length 9.9-12 (11-12); postorbital length 10-13 (11-13); orbit length 6.7-8.7 (8.1-8.8); upper-jaw length 9.9-13 (11-13); barbel length 18-23 (19-23); interdorsal distance 12-17 (12-15); caudal-peduncle length 21-25 (22-24); caudal-fin length 27-32 (28-32); anal-fin height 16-20 (16-19); pelvic-fin length 20-24 (22-25); pectoral-fin length 19-23 (21-23) and width 3.6-4.8 (3.8-4.6); first dorsal-fin height 19-23 (20-23); second dorsal-fin height 18-21 (18-21). Colouration when fresh: head and body dorsally red-brown or dark grey mottled, ventrally white, often with pale beige dots; the upper lobe of caudal fin with 4 or 5 red or brown bars (3 or 4 bars in subadults), the lower with 4 to 9 red, brown or dark brown bars, sometimes dorsally covered by a red, brown or dark-brown stripe; bars on both lobes of pupil width or less, interrupted by pale, partly hyaline interspaces of less or similar width; lower caudal-lobe tip sometimes black; barbels are white, pale rose whitish, or white with beige tip region; with a single yellow, beige or pale brown mid-lateral body stripe of pupil width from snout tip through eye to caudal-fin base, following lateral line in anterior two thirds of body; the stripe covered by 1-4 sections with horizontal series of 2-4 dark dots, the posteriormost dots behind second dorsal-fin base; the first dorsal fin with 3 or 4 red or brown, often fused stripes and the tip region pale or not darker than rest of fin; the second dorsal fin with 3 or 4 red or brown well-separated stripes with hyaline interspaces; pectoral fins are hyaline, pelvic and anal fins are weakly pigmented and partly hyaline. Colour of preserved fish pale, usually the dark pigmentation from caudal-fin bars, mid-lateral dots, saddle and/or second dorsal-fin distal stripe remain (ref. 121834).