The fish has an elongated body with a small inferior mouth and a long, tapering tail. It possesses six pairs of barbels: one pair on the maxilla and five pairs on the mandible. There is a weakly serrated spine anteriorly in the dorsal fin, and an adipose fin is present in the form of a spine. The pectoral fins are horizontal, and the caudal fin is truncate with an elongated, filamentous uppermost ray. A series of bony plates extends from the base of the dorsal fin to the base of the caudal fin. The body coloration is blackish on the back and lighter below.