Diagnosis: preoperculum with a blunt triangular projection at angle of preoperculum, covered by skin; mental fraenum bilobed, with short lateral lobes; mouth small, reaching to below anterior quarter of eye, upper jaw 12.0-15.5% SL (12-14% SL in specimens less than 50 mm SL, 13-15% in larger specimens); jaws forming an angle of 45° with body axis; upper margin of upper jaw in line with mideye; cheeks tapering; interorbital narrow, less than eye length; predorsal area scaled forward to just behind eyes; cheek naked; operculum naked; pectoral base covered with small cycloid scales; prepelvic area with moderate sized cycloid scales in about 6 rows covering all

but small anterior triangular patch; belly fully scaled; 1st dorsal fin spines 4-5 (usually 4) extending beyond other spines when fin depressed; 1st dorsal fin with basal half black, sometimes with a light area posteriorly; pelvic fin, length greater than width; reaching to or slightly beyond anus; 2nd dorsal rays usually I,8; anal rays usually I,7; pectoral rays usually 17-18; longitudinal scale count 25-28; predorsal scale count 12-16; transverse scale count (TRB) 8.5; gill rakers on outer face of 1st arch 0-1+1+6-8, raker on upper part of arch rarely present; lower gill rakers on outer face of 2nd arch 6-7; branched caudal rays usually 13-14 (13 in specimens less than 20 mm SL, usually 14 in specimens greater than 40 mm SL); vertebrae 11+16=27; papillae: line 1 (before nasal pore) composed on 3-4 rows of papillae; line 2 (between nasal pores) composed of 3 rows of papillae, not connecting to line 2 on opposite side of head; line 5 (suborbital) composed of 2-3 rows of papillae; line 6 (suborbital branch) composed of 1-3 pairs of papillae in very short line; lines 7, 9, 10 (LL cheek rows) composed on 2, 3 and 3 rows of papillae respectively, papillae in 3 lines lining up vertically to produce vertical rows, similar to VT lines; lines 8 and 11 (LT row) ending before posterior preopercular margin; line 12 (Outer POP-mandibular) composed of single row of papillae, without gap behind lips; line 13 (Inner POP-mandibular) composed of 2-3 rows of papillae; line 20 (opercular VT) composed of single row of papillae dorsally, becoming double ventrally; line 21 (Upper opercular OT) composed of single row of papillae, curved, extending along posterior margin of operculum and joining line 22; line 22 (Lower opercular OT) composed of single row of papillae, without any branches; several vertical papillae rows on belly; a single curved line anteriorly on most body scales (often obscure dorsally and posteriorly (Ref. 103536).

Description: 1st dorsal spines 6(30*); gill rakers on outer face of 1st arch 0+1+6(13), 0+1+7(12), 0+1+8(3*), 1+1+6(1), 1+1+7(1), 1+1+8(1); segmented caudal rays 17(27*); branched caudal rays 7/6(12), 7/7 (16), 8/7(3*); vertebrae 11+16(11*); head depressed, length 31.5-35.2% SL, width 17.5-20.2% SL, depth 16.0-18.4% SL; snout short, rounded in dorsal view; slightly convex to straight in side view; 8.4-11.3% SL; eye about 1.0-1.2 in snout, 8.8-10.8% SL (9-11% SL in specimens less than 50 mm SL, 8-10% SL in larger specimens; small bump below anterior nostril

absent, area covered with papillae; anterior nostril at end of short tube, just above upper lip; posterior nostril with raised rim, midway between lips and eye and 2 nostril diameters from anterior nostril; preoperculum short, distance from end of eye to upper posterior preopercular margin less than eye length; postorbital short, subequal to distance from tip of snout to mideye; gill opening reaching to below or just behind posterior preoperculum margin; teeth in

upper jaw: outer row of teeth conical, slightly enlarged and wide-set, 2 inner rows of smaller depressible, inwardly directed teeth, innermost row teeth larger than those in middle row; teeth in lower jaw: teeth in outer row conical, slightly enlarged and wide-set anteriorly, 2 inner rows of smaller depressible teeth, teeth in innermost row slightly larger than teeth in middle row; tongue tip bilobed; gill rakers on outer face of 1st arch short and broad; less than 1/3 filament length; rakers on inner face of 1st arch and other arches short and denticulate; body covered mostly with large ctenoid scales, cycloid on predorsal region (some predorsal scales ctenoid in specimens less than 30 mm SL), midbelly, pectoral base and prepelvic area; 1st dorsal fin low, with rounded margin; 2nd dorsal fin slightly higher than 1st dorsal fin; anal fin height slightly less than 2nd dorsal height; pectoral fin with rounded margin, reaching to above a point just before anal origin; pelvic disc, thin, oval, reaching to anus; 5th ray with 11 terminal tips in holotype; head pores: nasal pore above and slightly behind posterior nostril; anterior interorbital pore present posterior

interorbital pore present; postorbital pore behind eye present; infraorbital pore below postorbital present; lateral canal pore above preoperculum midway between eye and posterior preopercular margin present; lateral canal pore above posterior preopercular margin absent; terminal lateral canal pore above anterior operculum present; short tube above operculum, with pore at each end absent; 3 preopercular pores, upper in line with lower margin of eyes; widely separated from lower 2 (Ref. 103536).

Coloration: coloration in alcohol: head and body light brown; head with scattered irregularly shaped brown spots; small dark brown spot behind eye above posterior end of preoperculum, much smaller than pupil diameter; slightly larger brown spot at dorsoposterior attachment of operculum; stripe from anteroventral margin of eye to anterior end of lips; lips with dark brown mottling, posterior tip of lips white; body scales edged in dark brown (except ventrally on belly); some small spots and mottling dorsally; body with about 6 thin brown stripes; midline with large

rectangular spots; 1st below 1st dorsal fin covering 5 scales longitudinally; 2nd spot below 2nd dorsal origin covering 2-3 scales, smaller spot covering 1-2 scales below middle of 2nd dorsal fin; an elongate spot covering 2-3 spots below insertion of 2nd dorsal fin; last spot on end of caudal peduncle covering 2 scale rows and connected to a thin vertical bar on caudal fin base; pectoral base with a brown spot dorsally, rest of fin dusky to light brown; 1st dorsal fin with dark brown stripe covering basal half of fin; distal half whitish; 2nd dorsal fin with small black spots forming 3 rows, distal 3rd of fin whitish, distal tip brown; anal fin uniformly brown; caudal fin with 4-6 wavy brown bands, except ventrally; pelvic fin dark brown; mental fraenum with dark brown tips, rest of ventral surface of head with scattered melanophores (Ref. 103536). Coloration freshly collected: head, body, and pectoral-fin base yellowish tan with dark brown to nearly blackish markings as described above for preserved specimens; 1st dorsal fin with blackish stripe covering

basal part of fin; distal half pale yellow to whitish with reddish apical tip; 2nd dorsal fin with small black spots forming 3 rows on basal half, margin of fin broadly dusky reddish with white submarginal stripe; anal fin dusky brown to blackish, paler basally; caudal fin slightly yellowish to dusky grey brown with 4-6 wavy brown bands on central portion; pelvic fin dark grey (Ref. 103536)