The fish has a deep and compressed body, with the back more strongly arched than the anterior part of the belly. The body depth is 1.7–2.0 times the standard length, and the head and breast are scaleless. The teeth are small and weak, and the second dorsal spine is very long and filamentous. The body is silvery, with approximately 11 widely spaced dark vertical lines on the back, superimposed by a few yellow blotches that fade gradually towards the lower sides. The axil of the pectoral fins is yellow.