Distinguished from its subcongeners from the Western Atlantic by the following combination of characters: maxillary barbel reaching or surpassing base of pectoral spine; orbital diameter 1.8-2.5 (rarely 1.7) in snout length; orbital diameter 5.2-7.8 in maxillary barbel length; orbital diameter 4.0-5.7 in external mental barbel length; no fleshy papillae on lateral and mesial surfaces of first and second gill arches; 17-20 gill rakers on first arch; 16-19 gill rakers on second arch; supraoccipital process 9.1-11.5% SL; silvery or whitish coloration on flanks and abdominal region in life; 41-43 free vertebrae; dorsal-fin spine shorter or as long as pectoral-fin spine; dorsal-fin spine length 1.05-1.3 in pectoral-fin spine length; densely granulated cephalic shield; eight fixed mitochondrial substitutions; pale pigmentation on pelvic and pectoral fins; short and inconspicuous serrations on posterior margin of pectoral-fin spine; lower caudal-peduncle 6.2-8.3% SL; snout length 1.0-1.4 in supraoccipital process length; supraoccipital process length 0.7-0.9 in width of cephalic shield at lateral ethmoid area; and orbital diameter 2.8-3.9 (rarely 2.7) in width of cephalic shield at lateral ethmoid area. Differs from its subcongeners from eastern Pacific by the following characters: osseous portion of dorsomedial groove of neurocranium conspicuous and deep, with straight margins tapering posteriorly; dorsal-fin spine thicker or as thick as pectoral-fin spine; narrow caudal-fin lobes, pointed posteriorly; 18-23 gill rakers on first arch; 16-19 gill rakers on second arch; mouth 8.9-11.7% SL; orbital diameter 3.5-4.9% SL; cephalic shield at supracleithrum area 16.6-18.2% SL; 16-21 gill rakers on first arch; 19-24 anal-fin rays; fleshy portion of dorsomedial groove of neurocranium inconspicuous, wide and shallow, not continuous to the level of posterior nares; supraoccipital process 9.1-11.5% SL; mesial mental barbel 10.8-16.7% SL; thin lips; and accessory tooth plates and posterior expansion of dentary with small molariform teeth (Ref. 92375).