Distinguished by the following characteristics: head and body pale brown, with distinct greenish sheen on the body; dark color of lips, tip of lower jaw and dorsal part of the body; brown fins, darker than body, with blue-green sheen; pelvic fins pale brown with dusky membranes; juveniles without distinctive markings except for a dark maxillary groove; body depth 2.6-3.0 times in SL; head length 2.5-2.8 times in SL; convex interorbital area, width greater than eye diameter; preopercle subangular, serrae at angle slightly enlarged; slightly convex upper edge of operculum; subequal nostrils or posterior nostril slightly larger; maxilla reaches past vertical through centre of eye; midside of lower jaw with two rows of teeth; truncate caudal fin with rounded corners in adults, convex in juveniles; midlateral body scales distinctly ctenoid, auxiliary scales in large adults (Ref. 089707).