This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: long maxillary barbel, reaching at least the anal-fin terminus when parallel to main body axis; supraoccipital process reaching the anterior nuchal plate; robust dorsal-fin spine, bearing small, straight spinules along three-fourths of its posterior margin; 41–42 (rarely 43 or 44) total vertebrae; body slightly darkened, dorsal fin with light brown stripe near its origin, followed by a hyaline stripe, and distal half dark and by the dorsal lamina of the Weberian apparatus reaching the ventral margin of the supraoccipital process only at its first third; preoperculomandibular laterosensory canal openings at dentary not particularly large; brown midlateral stripe wide and dorsal lamina of the Weberian apparatus reaching the ventral margin of the supraoccipital process only at its first third; posterior margin of pectoral-fin spine bearing 13-23 large, retrorse blades along basal two-thirds; adipose fin 2.5 to 3.0 times in SL; epiphyseal branch of supraorbital canal on the head (S6) emerging as a single pore (Ref. 132465).