This species is distinguished by the following characters: body relatively elongate and laterally compressed; nostrils on each side of snout close together; lower jaw protruding and premaxillae protrusible, maxilla extending to vertical near posterior margin of orbit; small conical teeth in jaws, a few anterior ones in each jaw enlarged, sometimes into canine-like teeth; with teeth on palatine and vomer, vomerine tooth patch rounded arch-shaped or chevron-shaped; maxilla with scales, without the longitudinal ridges; interorbital region flattened; gill rakers of first

gill arch 11-15 + 20-22 = 32-36 (including rudiments); continuous dorsal fin, with spinous portion deeply incised at its junction with soft portion; last soft ray of both dorsal and anal fins produced, longer than next to last ray; caudal fin lunate, with a notch at the middle of the distal margin of the fin; pectoral fins fairly long, a little shorter than head. pectoral-fin rays 16; membranes of dorsal and anal fins without scales; tubed lateral-line scales 50-51. Colour of body mainly red, lighter on lower sides and belly (Ref. 9821).