Diagnosis: 50-59 mandibular teeth; head width 86.2-91.5% HL; postocular length at least 60% of snout length; maxillary barbel reaching beyond base of pectoral spine and as long as or only slightly shorter than head; entire margin of opercle smooth; caudal fin without single dark patch at base of each fin lobe; dorsal spine not serrated along entire anterior edge (Ref. 81251).

Description: maxillary barbels without basal membrane; lateral mandibular barbels generally not ramified and less than 2 times length of medial pair of barbels which are ramified; snout large and subconical; lips generally well-developed; 50 to 59 movable mandibular teeth; humeral process obtusely keeled, acutely pointed, much longer than deep and extending a little beyond nuchal plates; dorsal spine slightly striated, with just a few serrations on posterior edge; adipose fin 3.0-3.5 times as long as deep, and short, 1-2 times as long as its distance from first dorsal; anal fin rounded; pectoral spines strongly serrated along both edges and as long as dorsal spine; caudal fin deeply forked; caudal peduncle slightly longer than deep (Ref. 81251).

Colouration: body and fins uniformly brownish or with indistinct black spots; young with large dark brown spots (Ref. 81251). It may have white spots on a light brown background, but most specimens tend to be uniformly black (Ref. 126042).