This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VIII,9 ; pectoral fins 14-17; gill rakers 7-8 + 18-22 = 26-31; lateral line scales 32-37; body moderately deep or rather deep; measurements as % SL: body depth at anal-fin origin 22-29; maximum head depth 21-27; head depth through eye 16-21; suborbital depth 8.7-12; head length 28-33; snout length 9.5-13; postorbital length 11-14; upper-jaw length 11-14; barbel length 12-26; barbel width 0.7-1.2; caudal-peduncle length 18-23; second dorsal-fin base length 13-17; caudal-fin length 27-33; length of anal-fin base 10-13; anal-fin height 15-20; pelvic-fin length 17-22; pectoral-fin length 22-27; pectoral-fin width 3.7-5.9; first dorsal-fin height 22-28; first three to four long dorsal-fin spines are slightly protruding; second dorsal-fin height 16-20. Colouration: caudal fin no bars; first dorsal fin with a conspicuous black tip in fresh specimens that is usually well retained in preservative; both dorsal fins in fresh fish with dark, rather variable, horizontal or slightly oblique stripes, which are mostly lost in preservative; two yellow or pale-orange lateral body stripes in fresh fish, another conspicuous mid-lateral stripe at eye level from behind operculum to caudal-fin base; second stripe of variable length originating behind the pectoral-fin base, sometimes absent in subadults; stripes often lost in preservation; barbels white, pale beige, or pale rose, pale in preservation; head and body are silvery-whitish ventrally and gray to red brown dorsally, belly, pelvic and anal-fins often yellowish in fresh fish; when preserved, head and body uniformly brown or dorsally darker and fins pale brown, except for dark first dorsal-fin tip (Ref. 138759).