This species is distinguished by the following characters: body moderately deep to somewhat slender, greatest body depth 2.6-2.8 in SL; preopercular notch and knob poorly developed; vomerine tooth patch triangular or diamond-shaped, with a medial posterior extension; tongue with a patch of granular teeth; gill rakers of first gill arch 6-7 + 7-11 = 13-18 (including rudiments); caudal fin truncate or slightly emarginate; scale rows on back rising obliquely above lateral line. Colour generally pink to whitish with a silvery sheen; a black spot, mainly above lateral line, below anterior rays of soft dorsal fin (adults from the Indian Ocean usually with 7-8 narrow golden brown stripes on sides); juveniles whitish with black stripes on sides and most Indo-Pacific fish with a pale-edged round black spot on upper back (Ref 9821, 90102).

Description: Dorsal profile of head steeply to moderately sloped; preorbital width about equal to, or slightly less than eye diameter (Ref. 9821).