The fish has a less compressed and elongate body, being very slender and not deeper than the head length. Its depth measures more than 3.3–4.2 times the standard length, and the ventral profile of the head is more convex than the dorsal profile. The body is silvery, with irregular green and dark marbling on the back. There is a horizontal yellow band at midheight of the spinous part of the dorsal fin, with most of the margin of the soft part being orange. The underside of the pectoral fin base has minute, dark dots. The anal fin, between the second and third spines, is yellow, as is the margin of the anterior part of the fin. Males exhibit a bluish longitudinal stripe along the side of the belly.