This species is distinguished by the following characters: D VII + 9; pectoral fins 15-16; gill rakers 7-9 + 20-22 = 28-31; adult measurements in % SL: body depth at first dorsal-fin origin 23-25, at anus 20-22; caudal-peduncle depth 8.8-9.9; maximum head depth 19-21; head depth through eye 15-17; interorbital length 7.2-8.6; head length 28-31; snout length 9.9-12; postorbital length 11-14; orbit length 5.6-7.2; upper jaw length 9.6-12; barbel length 18-23; caudal-peduncle length 21-25; caudal-fin length 27-29; anal-fin height 12-15; pelvic-fin length 19-21; pectoral-fin length 18-20; first dorsal-fin height 16-20; second dorsal-fin height 12-15. Colour of body and head are dark brown grey dorsally, a weak mid-lateral body stripe of same colour; 4-7 dark brown-grey narrow bars on upper lobe of caudal fin, interrupted by pale interspaces of similar width as bars while the lower caudal-fin lobe is almost entirely brown-grey pigmented, except for the distal-most ray forming a pale ventral margin; barbels are pale grey; preserved fish with dark dorsal, upper caudal-lobe bars and lower-caudal lobe pigmentation retained (Ref. 116177).

Description: This species is similar or slightly overlap in body shape and meristic characters with U. asymmetricus, U. japonicus and U. Lombok. Identification is best achieved by comparing the colour patterns of fresh fish; particularly the width of the oblique bars and their interspaces on the upper caudal-fin lobe, and the pigmentation pattern on the lower lobe which are important for diagnosis (Ref. 116177).