This species is distinguished by the following characters: presence of series of large irregular dark brown blotches on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body from anteriormost lateral plates to caudal peduncle; five well delimited large dark brown blotches from the caudal fin base to the posterior margin of opercle, along the junction of dorsal and ventral plates on the midline of body, and lower region of cleithrum dark ; parapophyses of fourth free vertebra reduced and separated from each other, not fused into a haemal arch; 5 pairs of ribs; odontodes present on infraorbitals and opercle; nuchal plate not in contact with supraoccipital plate; first haemal arch present on sixth free vertebra, precaudal vertebra 7-9; non-segmented rays on A i; short head length 32.0-35.8 % mm SL, and head depth 90.7-96.6 % mm HL (Ref. 138431).