Diagnosed from its congeners in France, Great Britain, Black, North, Baltic and Adriatic Sea basins and Apennine Peninsula by having the following characters: lower lip thick with a median swollen pad; tip of dorsal pointed; posterior margin of dorsal concave; last simple dorsal ray spinous, serrated along entire posterior edge; flexible segmented part of last simple dorsal ray about 20-24% of its length; fine dark spots (or no spots) in individuals larger than 10 cm SL; 53-63 total scales on lateral line; 12-14 scale rows between dorsal origin and lateral line; pelvic origin about below dorsal origin; scales with free posterior part pointed; scales on back with 1-5 well developed median longitudinal epithelial crests (Ref. 59043). Caudal fin with 19-20 rays (Ref. 2196).