Diagnosis: 44-45 vertebrae; caudal saddle and bar pattern absent; 5 pelvic-fin rays; usually a single pore between inner mental barbels; lateral line rarely less than 33% SL, most commonly 33-36% SL; body faintly and sparsely spotted (Ref. 44050).

Description: body elongate, fusiform, almost vermine; paired fins small; eyes small and inconspicuous; 18-19 abdominal vertebrae; 25-26 caudal vertebrae; 18 caudal-fin rays (arrangement ii-7-7-ii) (Ref. 44050).

Coloration: body and head faintly bicolored; dorsum and flank brown, venter tan; relatively few small spots (up to 1-2 times an eye diameter) scattered across dorsum and flank; paired fins clear; caudal and anal fins pigmented in about the same shade as the dorsum/flank pigment, or slightly darker; caudal fin with ill-defined pale distal margin in adults and no pale basal crescent; juveniles pigmented largely as adults, without caudal saddle and bar pattern (Ref. 44050).