This species is distinguished by the following characters: hind tip of maxilla exposed when mouth is closed; head relatively small and flattened dorsally, head length 22-28% of SL; adipose eyelid is developed anteriorly and posteriorly covering part of iris; mid-dorsal line is sharply keeled; second vertebra with a pair of long, spine or antenna like neural postzygapophyse; stomach gizzard-like, with five unbranched pyloric caeca; transverse scales 11-13 (mode 12) rows; scales in lateral series usually 36-40; pectoral-fin usually with 17 rays; pectoral-fin length, 14-18% of SL, not reaching to level of first dorsal fin; supraneurals 3, the first between second and third vertebrae, second between fourth and fifth vertebrae, and third between fifth and sixth vertebrae; first pterygiophore of spinous dorsal fin positions in between sixth and seventh vertebrae (Ref. 137907).