This species is distinguished by the following characters: pinnately branched, supraorbital cirrus about equal eye diameter in height; small nape cirrus; lower jaws with relatively large, heavily pigmented labial flap on either side of chin; innermost (third), segmented pelvic-fin ray obvious externally (Ref. 89414).

Description: Dorsal fin with terminal ray bound by membrane to caudal peduncle. Anal with terminal ray bound by membrane to caudal peduncle. Caudal fin with 13 segmented rays (7+6), the three dorsalmost and three ventralmost rays are simple, other rays branched once; procurrent rays 5+5; ventral hypural plate and hypural 5 autogenous; epurals 2. Pelvic fin with innermost ray readily apparent. Posteriormost epineurals and pleural ribs on vertebra 11. Lateral line tubular, continuous, with short, paired side branches each with a single pore (type B anterior pattern of Bath, 2004), and terminating below vertical between VII-VIII or VIII (right side) dorsal-fin spines; 16 median supratemporal commissural pores; anterior (first) preopercular pore position with a vertical pair of pores. The upper lip with shallow free dorsal margin anteriorly, the lower lip is incomplete, not continuous across chin, with relatively large labial flap on each side of chin. The gill membranes form a free fold across isthmus (gill opening not restricted to side of head) (Ref. 89414).