Body is elongated and compressed with a depressed head. The anterior nostrils are tubular at the front margin of the snout and the posterior ones are rounded slits located at the upper margin of the eye. The lower jaw is more extended than the upper jaw and is prominent. Villiform teeth are present, arranged in 3-4 rows in both jaws with the outer row enlarged and the inner row enlarged in the lower jaw. The snout, cheek, opercle, and interorbital region are devoid of scales and contain mucous canals. A single robust spine is present, extending downward and forward at the angle of the preopercle. Scales are small and ctenoid on the body while cycloid scales are found on the head and belly. The lateral line consists of 45-50 scales with 22-23 rows before the first dorsal fin. Both the dorsal and anal fins are positioned lower than the body, and the caudal fin is obtusely rounded and shorter than the head. The coloration is brownish or grayish, featuring dark vertical bands across the body with more distinct bands in the posterior region. Black bands with a black spot are present on the dorsal and anal fins and the caudal fin is black and slightly reticulated.