This species is distinguished by the following characters: a rigid upper jaw lacking a flexible lamina posteriorly; D XI,11; A II,11; vertebrae 10 + 16; scale rows in horizontal series 42; lateral-line terminus below segmented dorsal-fin rays 2-3; gill rakers 11 + 23; spinous dorsal fin with a large blackish blotch between spines 3-7 and soft dorsal fin with two ocellated blotches ringed by white on proximal half of fin, the first brown and between rays 1-6 and the second black and between rays 9-11; distal third of the soft dorsal and anal fins yellow; head uniformly brown; with a small black blotch on opercular flap; caudal-fin base black followed posteriorly by white vertical band continuous with large dark ocellus ringed by white on middle of fin, the rest of the fin yellow; pelvic fin is yellow (Ref. 128653).