This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: dorsal head profile straight line from nape above eye to upper lip tip; posterior angle of jaws extending to between a vertical line drawn through posterior edge of anterior nostril and a vertical line drawn through anterior edge of eye; upper and rounded lower posterior opercular edge pointed; longitudinal infralateral and suborbital transversal rows of superficial neuromasts are placed in the well-defined deep groove; body cross-section behind pectoral fin base half oval with straight ventral side; granules on body shallow and inconspicuous; upper attachment of gill membrane opposite to 5th to 6th pectoral ray; principal caudal-fin rays 12-13; vertical eye diameter 3.4-4.3% of SL; horizontal eye diameter 3.0-3.7% of SL; head length 26.2-30.0% of SL; pectoral-fin length 8.7-11.3% of SL; prepectoral distance 25.1-28.5% of SL; ventral adhesive disc length 15.9-20.1% of SL; caudal-fin length 13.9%-16.4 of SL; low number of vertebrae 35; pharyngeal jaws with ceratobranchial 5 small, having several (about 5) small, conical teeth; nasal bones are club-shaped; eyes with star-like pigmentation around and reduced body pigmentation with no visible stripes (Ref. 123696).