This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: elongate and usually cylindrical body; branched dorsal fin rays 8-9, the last unbranched dorsal-fin ray weakly ossified and serrated in 1/3-3/4 of its length; total pelvic fin rays 8-10 (modally 9); small scales, scales in the lateral-line series 63-79, scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line 11-16 (modally 14 and 15), scales between anal-fin origin and lateral line 7-10 (modally 8 and 9), circumpeduncular scales 23-28 (modally 24 and 26); gill rakers on lower limb of first gill arch 9-15 (modally 10-11); total vertebrae 42-46 (modally 43-44). Colouration: light golden-yellowish or silvery-greyish body coloration in life; presence of a few black blotches on the body of some specimens (Ref. 129199).