The fish has one dorsal spine and seven dorsal soft rays, with 35-36 vertebrae. It has a semicircular spot in the middle of the caudal-fin base, approximately the size of the eye diameter, and a dark spot extending across the bases of the second through fifth branched dorsal-fin rays. The anal fin consists of 4-5 simple rays and 8-9 branched rays, totaling 12-14 rays. The eye is relatively large, with its diameter roughly equal to the snout length. The nasal barbel extends just past the posterior margin of the orbit, and the maxillary barbel, which has a broad membrane, reaches the anal-fin origin.