This species is distinguished from all its congeners in the C. balios complex by the following characters: with a lighter general colouration, highly differing by the presence of a great concentration of small dark brownish grey dots in a superficial skin layer, contrasting with rounded diffuse pale grey spots, almost inconspicuous, in a deeper layer (vs. never a similar colouration); similar to C. pericoh and differs from C. balios in having a slightly posteriorly folded extremity of the dorsal process of the opercle (vs. unfolded), a narrow postero-dorsal projection on the preopercle (vs. no projection), and branchiostegal rays 8 (vs. 9); differs from C. pericoh in having more dorsal procurrent caudal-fin rays 17 (vs. 13 or 14), fewer ribs 12 (vs. 15), and opercular and interopercular postero-dorsal odontodes distinctively wider and more curved than other odontodes (vs. opercular and interopercular posterodorsal odontodes only slightly wider and more curved than other odontodes) (Ref. 129458).

Description: D iii + II + 7; A iii + II + 5; pectoral I + 6; pelvic fin I,4;