This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VII + 9; pectoral fins 13; gill rakers 8 + 19-20 = 27-28; elongated body laterally compressed. Measurements as % SL: depth at first dorsal-fin origin 21; body depth at anal-fin origin 18; caudal peduncle depth 8.3, its width 3.3; maximum head depth 18 and through eye 14; head length 27; snout length 10; orbit length 6.7; upper-jaw length 11; barbel length 17; caudal-fin length 29; anal-fin height 16; pelvic-fin length 23; pectoral-fin length 21; first dorsal-fin height 20 with dorsal-fin spines proportionally decreasing in height; second dorsal-fin height 15. Body markings: total oblique bars on caudal fin 12, upper caudal-fin lobe with 5 red bars; lower caudal-fin lobe with 7 red-brown blotch-like bars which are most distinct along middle of lobe and dorsally with a faint yellowish-beige stripe of less than orbit diameter in width that connects to caudal-fin base; bars are mostly retained after preservation; first dorsal fin with a large yellowish-beige triangular patch close to fin base covering central part of ventral half of fin; a similarly coloured, but much smaller patch at middle of second dorsal-fin base; when fresh barbels are white; in freshly deceased fish, body and head colour pale greyish dorsally and mostly red below eye level except for pale-grey snout region; ventral margin of the head and body silvery white; with a vermillion mid-lateral body stripe from snout tip through eye to middle of caudal-fin base; when preserved, body and head pale brown, mid-body darkened (Ref. 123711).