This species is distinguished by the following characters: vertebrae 58-59; pectoral fin rays 16; pyloric caeca 6-10; prominent occipital hump; mouth angle about 60°; tiny and slender premaxillary teeth, sharp canines with slight shoulders, in a narrow band of about 40 oblique rows of up to 7 teeth each; short gill opening, above pectoral and in front of 1-2 rays, its length less than 1/5 HL; opercle a broad sword-like blade extending ventrally with a shallow curve posteriorly, its tip a sharp spine reaching posterior to pectoral fin base; symphyseal pores without raised rim, small, widely separated, fragile; absent coronal pore; rays of upper and lower pectoral fin lobes free for a significant proportion of their length; abdominal cavity length behind pectoral symphysis about 20% SL, almost equal to HL (Ref. 92437).