This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: long mesethmoid, with anterior tip well developed, significantly over 50% of bone length; posterior margin of dorsal-fin spine with serrations directed towards tip of spine; 1-2 longitudinal black stripes on flanks; no black blotch across the eyes (mask); large black blotch on dorsal fin absent; and presence of transversal black bars on caudal fin (Ref. 110223).