Body with dark brown to brownish red stripes, alternating with silvery white stripes. The upper 2 dark stripes often ending in an elongate dark brown spot at the base of the soft portion of the dorsal fin; the third curving downward to end at mid-base of caudal fin; the 4th ending just before the caudal peduncle; the 5th and 6th stripes converging posteriorly on lower edge of caudal peduncle; 7th and 8th ending in a dark blotch at the rear base of soft part of anal fin. Four oblique scale rows on cheek; body depth 2.6-2.8 in SL; head length (HL) 2.65-2.9 in SL; short and blunt snout, length 4.4-5.1 in HL; interorbital width 3.9-4.4 in HL; mouth terminal to slightly inferior, maxilla often extending to below center of the eye, upper jaw length 2.35-2.55 in HL; premaxillary groove often reaching above anterior edge of orbit; anterior end of nasal bone ending in a spine; surface or medial edge of nasal bone spineless; nasal fossa without spinules (occasionally large specimens with one spinule on anterior edge of fossa); upper edge of first suborbital bone with a slightly retrorse lateral spine, followed by a low ridge of recumbent spinules; preopercular spine 1.5-2.2 in orbit diameter, 3.7-5.8 in HL; 3rd-5th dorsal spines subequal, the longest 1.85-2.2 in HL; 3rd anal spine 1.25-1.5 in HL (Ref. 27370).