This species is distinguished by the following characters: upper lip with no median cleft, but with a lateral cleft on each side of lip; margin of upper lip between lateral clefts minutely serrated; no tubercle behind median cleft; ridge beneath the upper lip only with feeble papillae; premaxillary teeth tricuspid; first dorsal-fin spines, especially second to fifth spines, are long and filamentous in males; posterior tip of first dorsal fin often exceeding the base of last soft ray of second dorsal fin in males, while the second to fourth spines of first dorsal fin in females are somewhat elongate, but the tip of fin not extending to middle of second dorsal-fin base; membranes notched between spines in female; D I,10; caudal fin with 17-18 (usually 17) segmented rays, including 15-16 branched rays; pectoral fin rays 20-21; scales in longitudinal series 49-57; scales on nape and occipital region considerably smaller than scales on lateral sides of body (Ref. 125665).