This species has the following set of characters: 15 pectoral-fin rays; 36-40 longitudinal scale rows; 13 or 14 scales below lateral line; 5 scale rows between last dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line; 0-2 exposed predorsal scale rows; 13 gill rakers; anteroventral surface of body and pectoral-fin base covered with well-exposed scales; no median ridge at the anterior surface of preocular spine; a distinct longitudinal ridge on the lateral surface of maxilla; no spines on lateral surface of lacrimal; anterior lacrimal spine simple; occipital pit extremely deep; relatively thick skin with numerous small sensory pores covering predorsal area from posterior edge of occipital pit to first dorsal-fin spine origin (most predorsal scales embedded in skin), and extending to just above or near first pored lateral-line scale; similar skin with pores between opercular spines and covering upper spine; head and trunk with numerous tentacles, supraocular tentacle longest, about equal to or 1.5 times orbit diameter; anteroventral surface of lower jaw with 1 or 2 pairs of slender tentacles in ventral view; relatively shorter second, third, and fourth dorsal-fin spines (11.4-15.3% of SL [mean 13.3%], 15.8-18.6% [17.4%], 17.9-19.0% [18.4%], respectively), length of third spine less than upper-jaw length; caudal-peduncle depth relatively shallow (10.5-11.7% of SL [11.2%]); soft-rayed portion of dorsal fin with variable, diagonal cluster of black spots; spinous portion of dorsal fin uniform yellowish to reddish with narrow, translucent, submarginal stripe (Ref. 57437).