A species of Ophthalmolycus as defined by Anderson (1992, 1994) with the following

combination of characters: 6 branchiostegal rays; pectoral fin origin well below midbody, pectoral base extending ventrally to abdomen; lateral line double with ventral and medio-lateral branches; oral valve not reaching anterior edge of vomer; gill slit extending ventrally well below ventral end of pectoral fin base; vertebrae asymmetrical 22+70-74=92-96; dorsal fin origin associated with vertebrae 4 or 5 with no supraneurals; pectoral fin rays 16 or 17; 2 postorbital pores (positions 1 and 4); 2 well developed pyloric caeca and 0–3 pseudobranch filaments (Ref. 80464).

Body laterally compressed and relatively short; tail laterally compressed, especially posteriorly. Head nearly triangular in cross section; eye ellipsoid, not entering dorsal profile of head. Scales small, sparse, present only on tail and un-paried fin bases. Gill slit extending ventrally well below lower edge of pectoral fin base. Triangular opercular flap at upper end of gill slit. Pectoral-fin origin well below midbody, pectoral-fin base with its lower end on abdomen, pectoral-fin margin rounded; ventralmost 5–7 rays thickened, tips exserted. Upper jaw protruding, end of maxilla extending to posterior margin of eye; lower lip with a small lobe. Nasal tube long, unpigmented, overhanging upper lip. Two well-developed pyloric caeca present, their length about 66 % of eye diameter. Gill rakers 3+ 8–9, triangular. Pseudobranch filaments 0–3.

Cephalic lateralis pore system with pores enlarged except the 7th and 8th preoperculomandibular, and the two postorbital pores. 2 nasal pore, 1st pore located anteromesial to nasal tube, the other dorsoposterior to it. Two postorbital pores (positions 1 and 4). Six suborbital pores all on the ventral ramus. Eight preoperculomandibular pores. Interorbital and occipital pores absent. Body lateral line configuration with 2 rows of neuromasts: lower lateral-line beginning just behind the fourth postorbital pore, steeply sloping above pectoral fin and extending ventrolaterally to the end of the tail; middle lateral line, originated behind the anal-fin origin and coursing to tail tip (Ref. 80464).