The head and body are flattened. The membrane behind the last dorsal fin spine is large and the gill opening is positioned dorsally. The preopercular spine has 3–6 short spinules on the dorsal edge and a robust upward-curved lower spine. The anal fin has 8 rays and there are 16–21 rays in the pectoral fin. The coloration features a series of dark saddles on the back and elongated dark blotches just below the lateral line. In males, the suborbital region has small dark spots. The 2nd dorsal fin displays elongated dark spots while the caudal fin exhibits vertical rows of black spots along its central part.