Diagnosed from its congeners by the possession of the following characters: distance between pelvic and anal origins short, 54-65% of distance between pectoral and pelvic origins; snout stout, markedly rounded, mouth terminal; all scales deeply embedded in skin; skin markedly thickened and folded in adults, especially during spawning season when most scales are not distinct; lateral line scales more or less widely separated from each other, larger than body scales; body scales roundish or irregular, very small, widely separated, missing in pre-pelvic area and immediately behind head; lateral line broadly interrupted, ending from behind pectoral to above anal base, usually 20-40 pored scales (Ref. 59043).