The body is oblong and compressed, exhibiting almost evenly convex dorsal and ventral profiles with a pointed snout. The eyelid is well-developed only on the posterior half of the eye and the straight part of the lateral line typically has 0–7 scales and 48–69 scutes. In terms of coloration, it appears silvery-blue above and silvery to white below. There is a diffuse dusky blotch on the margin of the opercle. The interradial membranes of the spinous dorsal fin range from pale to dusky. The second dorsal fin, anal fin and caudal fin are dusky. Mature males develop black pigmentation in the spinous dorsal fin, lobes of the soft dorsal and anal fins and in the pelvic fins, a feature lacking in females.