Dorsal profile of head as a gentle slope to first dorsal fin base; 3 pairs of barbels around mouth, the maxillary pair as long as head, extending to pectoral fin base or slightly beyond; head shield sparsely granulated to posterior margin of orbit; supraoccipital process keeled, a little longer than broad, its hind end emarginate; median longitudinal groove narrow and deep posteriorly, reachinq base of supraoccipital process; predorsal plate as a wide V; premaxillary band of teeth in upper jaw 4 to 6 times as long as broad, mandibulary band of teeth in lower jaw deeply curved, narrowly interrupted; palate teeth globular, in a single large irregularly ovate patch, not fully formed, with loosely packed teeth, inner margins of patches not straight. First dorsal fin and pectoral fins each with a strong serrated spine, first dorsal fin ray prolonged into a long filament; total anal fin rays 17 or 18.