This species is distinguished by the following characters: fine reticulate color pattern on dorsal surface (uniformly brown or creamy white in some preserved specimens); eye large, 12.5-14.9% SL; interorbital space narrow, 4.4-6.1% SL, forming a groove; rostral protuberance short and blunt, directed upward; principal bucklers blunt and relatively few in number, naked between principal bucklers; no buckler dorsal to orbit; ventral surface with few small bucklers forming a large naked area; subopercular buckler with 1 spine directed forward; relatively small adult body size (< 70 mm SL) (Ref. 84006).